In yet another disturbing episode that raises serious questions about the treatment of Hindu students in India, an FIR has been filed against the CET exam conducting officer at Adichunchanagiri School in Sharavathinagara, Shivamogga district of Karnataka. The officer stands accused of forcing Hindu students to remove their Janeu—a sacred thread worn as a religious symbol—before being allowed to sit for the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET).
The complaint, lodged by one Nataraj Bhagavath, has led to the officer being booked under sections 115(2), 299, 351(1), and 352, read with section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Yet again, what should have been a smooth, fair examination process turned into a humiliating ordeal for Hindu students who were practicing their faith peacefully.
When Faith Becomes a Casualty of Protocol
The fact that students were allegedly forced to remove religious symbols under the pretext of examination protocols reveals an alarming disregard for fundamental rights. Is this the new India where wearing sacred Hindu threads is deemed suspicious or unacceptable?
The act of coercing students to take off their Janeu is not only a direct insult to religious beliefs, but a gross violation of constitutional rights—particularly the right to freely practice one’s religion. The incident reflects growing institutional hostility against Hindu traditions, masked behind the thin veil of “protocol compliance.”
Government’s Weak Response: Lip Service Without Accountability
Reacting to the shameful incident, Karnataka’s Higher Education Minister Dr. MC Sudhakar termed the episode “very unfortunate”—a remark that does little justice to the emotional and spiritual trauma inflicted on students. The minister admitted that a similar complaint had emerged from Bidar as well, but hastily added that the examination process went “smoothly” at most other centres across the state.
“This was not part of the protocol… we respect all religions,” the minister claimed while speaking to ANI. But if that were true, why did this happen at more than one centre? And why has there been no official apology from the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), the body responsible for conducting the CET? Their silence is as telling as the injustice itself.
Repeat Offences: Pattern of Anti-Hindu Discrimination?
This isn’t an isolated incident. In another horrifying account from Bidar district’s Saispurthi Examination Center, a Hindu student was forcibly removed from the Mathematics exam simply because he refused to remove his Janeu. One can only imagine the heartbreak and devastation of a young aspirant whose dreams of pursuing engineering were shattered—not because of academic shortcomings, but due to religious discrimination.
Such episodes point to an alarming trend: institutions choosing bureaucratic rigidity over basic human decency, and worse, targeting Hindu practices under the garb of neutrality. The brazen actions of those responsible not only expose students to trauma but chip away at the pluralistic ethos this country claims to uphold.
Outrage from the Hindu Community
Condemnation has come in strong from community leaders. The All Karnataka Brahmin Mahasabha and the Federation of Various Brahmin Sanghas in Shivamogga have rightly denounced these incidents as “anti-Brahmin” and “anti-Hindu.” These aren’t mere words—they are a reflection of the growing frustration among Hindus who feel their identity is under siege, even in spaces like schools and exam centres that are supposed to be impartial and inclusive.
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