Chaos broke out during the Karnataka Civil Police Constable written examination on Sunday after hundreds of aspirants staged a walkout at a test center in Vijayapura district. The dispute erupted over severe procedural delays and improper distribution of question papers and OMR sheets, leading candidates to demand a fresh re-test. The recruitment drive, organized to fill 3,991 vacancies, saw nearly 4.54 lakh job seekers appearing at over 800 centers across the state.
Chaos and Walkouts at Vijayapura Test Center
The main center of disruption was the Shardamba PU College located in Tikota within Vijayapura district, which housed one of the 61 examination centers set up in the district. Aspirants reported that while the scheduled start time for distributing question papers was 10:30 AM, officials delivered the papers with a delay of nearly 30 minutes. Adding to the confusion, different invigilators across various classrooms followed inconsistent methods for distributing question papers and OMR answer sheets, creating panic among test-takers.
Unable to continue under these circumstances, several frustrated candidates walked out of their examination halls in protest. Protesters gathered outside the center, voicing anger that years of rigorous preparation were being ruined by administrative carelessness. The demonstrating candidates demanded the immediate cancellation of the exam at the affected center and requested the authorities to schedule a fresh re-examination. Meanwhile, some candidates reportedly left the classrooms carrying their question papers and OMR sheets outside. Authorities cited examination regulations to classify this action as a severe procedural violation and barred those individuals from re-entering the exam halls.
District Administration Denies Allegations of Widespread Malpractice
Following reports of widespread discontent and demonstrations, high-ranking administrative and police officials arrived at the scene. Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner T. Bhubalan along with Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi inspected the center and engaged directly with the protesting candidates to evaluate the situation.
Despite the vocal protests, district authorities rejected claims of systemic failure. Administration officials maintained that the entire examination process was conducted with full transparency in strict compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) established by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA). Officials noted that out of 61 centers in Vijayapura district, the exam concluded peacefully at almost all locations. They acknowledged that minor confusion arose at a few centers initially, but clarified that invigilators quickly stepped in to explain the procedures, allowing most candidates to successfully complete their tests.
KEA Rules and Mandatory Fifth Option Policy
To maintain transparency across the state, the Karnataka Examination Authority implemented strict post-exam measures. KEA uploaded candidate OMR answer sheets onto its official website within 30 minutes of the examination's conclusion, enabling candidates to review their responses immediately.
A specific operational rule was enforced during this recruitment drive regarding unanswered questions. Candidates were required to select a mandatory fifth option if they chose not to attempt a question. Leaving any question completely blank without marking an option attracted negative marking under the guidelines established for this exam.
Political Backlash and Demand for Action
The disruption quickly triggered political fallout in the state. Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka criticized the Congress-led government over the handling of the state-level recruitment test. Taking to social media platform X, he stated that the incident represented another failure by the ruling administration in conducting public recruitment tests seamlessly.
R. Ashoka demanded the immediate resignation of Minister Priyank Kharge, called for the cancellation of the exam at the affected center, and urged the state government to order an independent inquiry into the mismanagement. Furthermore, the opposition leader claimed that similar complaints regarding administrative lapses during the exam had surfaced from Haveri and Hassan districts, urging strict disciplinary action against all negligent officials involved.
