‘Janivara’ row: Brahmin community members stage protest, demand action

District Brahmin Association protests forced removal of sacred thread during CET, demands re-examination and strict action against officials.

The district Brahmin Association, along with several community leaders, held a protest in the city on Saturday, condemning the alleged forced removal of the ‘Janivara’ (‘sacred thread’) of Brahmin students during the recently held CET (Common Entrance Test) in Bidar and Shivamogga.

Protesters gathered in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office and raised slogans against the State government, shouting “My Janivara, My Right” and “Jai Shri Ram”. The protestors even set fire to tyres on the road, blocking traffic for a while.

The community leaders alleged that the incidents in Bidar and Shivamogga exam centres were deeply insulting and amounted to an affront to the entire community. Protesters described the act as “unconstitutional, anti-Brahmin and anti-Hindu.”

“Sanatana Dharma has been practised for years, and never before has such an incident occurred during examinations. The officials involved in the deliberate wrongdoing should be dismissed from service with immediate effect,” District Brahmin Association President Pandurang Deshmukh said during the agitation.

The agitating members further stated that depriving any child of the right to take an exam because of his/her caste or religion is distressing. “Many students have been preparing for two years, and sending them back on flimsy grounds is unjust. One can only imagine the psychological impact of such acts on these students. The government should hold a re-examination for the affected students or provide grace marks to them to compensate for the injustice,” an agitating community member said.

The protestors accused examination centre officials of forcefully enforcing non-existent rules not stipulated by the KEA (Karnataka Examinations Authority). They insisted that the State government take strict action against those responsible.

They also demanded that the affected students be admitted into top engineering colleges in the State for courses of their choice. Warning the authorities, they said that if such incidents were repeated, they would launch a Statewide agitation.