Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology, and Environment Eshwar Khandre intervened in the case of a student who was denied permission to write CET exam in Karnataka for wearing a sacred thread (janivara) to the exam hall.

Khandre who is also the Bidar district in-charge minister, offered a free engineering seat at Bhimanna Khandre Institute of Engineering in Bhalki, an institute managed by him to Suchivrat Kulkarni who was not allowed to write mathematics paper in the recently concluded exams.

The minister said that the prescribed dress code for CET does not prohibit candidates from wearing janivara. He blamed investigators at the Sai Spoorthi PU College and had instructed Bidar Deputy Commissioner Shilpa Sharma to ask the president of the PU college to terminate the service of those responsible for the incident.

The head of the institute terminated the service of Principal Chandrashekhar Biradar and Second Division Assistant Satish Pawar following the same.

Responding to the incident, DyCM DK Shivakumar on Sunday said that the State Government will punish those responsible for asking the CET candidates to remove their janivara as there were no such dress code mandates.

“The government does not interfere in religious matters. Our government is committed to protecting every religion. Nobody needs to panic. People must protect mutts like their homes. Only then can we protect our religion,” he said during an event.

Suchivrat Kulkarni said he had no fear refusing to remove his janivara (sacred thread) before the CET Math exam, as he prioritizes tradition. He recollected that despite pleading, the staff didn’t let him write the paper, though he was allowed for earlier exams.

His mother said they live by “Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha” and have received support from religious leaders of Puthige Mutt, Shankar Mutt, Uttaradi Mutt and Adichunchanagiri Mutt for supporting them.

Inputs from TNIE