‘Janivara’ row: Principal and staff dismissed in Bidar; two guards suspended at Shivamogga

Deputy Commissioners in Shivamogga and Bidar address controversies surrounding students wearing 'sacred threads' during CET exams.

Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner Gurudatta Hegade, after verifying CCTV camera footage at a Common Entrance Test (CET) examination centre, has denied allegations that the ‘janivara’ (‘sacred thread’) worn by a student had been cut by a guard as the centre on Friday in the city.

However, two Home Guards at Adichunchanagiri College in Shivamogga have been suspended for stopping a student from entering the exam hall wearing the ‘sacred thread’, who was eventually allowed inside after the principal intervened.

Meanwhile, at Bidar, acting on two separate investigation reports, Deputy Commissioner Shilpa Sharma recommended the dismissal of the principal and a staff member of Sai Spoorthi PU College in connection with the alleged denial of entry to a student wearing the ‘sacred thread’ to appear for CET.

The reports, submitted by the Assistant Commissioner and the Deputy Director of Pre-University Education, found principal Chandrashekhar Biradar and second division assistant Satish Pawar responsible for “mishandling” the situation. Following the instruction, the college has dismissed both.

However, the Principal Secretary of Higher Education had directed the college management to suspend the Principal and staff from service and take disciplinary action and had not sought their dismissal.

Describing the sequence of events at the Shivamogga centre at a press meet, Mr. Hegade said, as made clear in the CCTV camera footage, a student had voluntarily shown the ‘sacred thread’ he was wearing and asked the Home Guard if he was allowed to wear it. The guard had answered in the negative, and the student removed the thread himself. While examining another student, the guard said he could not appear for the CET wearing the thread. The student, however, refused to remove it. The principal who arrived at the place clarified that there was no bar on wearing the thread and he was allowed to write the exam, said the DC.

Owing to a lack of awareness, the security staff had stopped the students. “Prima facie, it appears that religious sentiments were hurt due to the lack of awareness of the security staff. Two Home Guards have been suspended, pending further enquiry,” he said.