Four students were barred from appearing in the NEET-UG 2026 re-test held across Karnataka on Sunday, triggering a sharp political controversy in the state. The re-test was conducted by the National Testing Agency following the paper leak that had compromised the original examination held on May 3. Three students arrived late at their respective centres and were denied entry due to strict regulations, while a fourth was turned away for presenting an old hall ticket instead of the valid one. At the RC College centre in Bengaluru, two of the three late-arriving students were unable to enter after the gates were shut. In a distressing scene that drew widespread attention, one of the girls was seen climbing the compound grille in tears, desperately pleading to be allowed in, before police officers brought her down. In Gangavathi in Koppal district, another student who arrived just 20 minutes late was similarly refused entry. The incidents left parents deeply shaken and outspoken in their anguish.
The episode quickly became a political flashpoint. BJP’s Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya took to social media to launch a fierce attack on the Congress government, alleging that a massive Congress rally held at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru had brought the city’s traffic to a standstill, preventing students from reaching their exam centres on time. He questioned why the party chose to hold such a large event on the very day that lakhs of students were appearing for one of the most consequential exams of their lives.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge fired back just as sharply, dismissing Surya’s claims as misinformation. He stated that at least one of the students had been delayed due to a missed bus, not traffic congestion, and that traffic police had been deployed well in advance with clear instructions to manage the roads. Kharge also went on the offensive, pointing out that BJP leaders who had stayed silent when 2.2 million students suffered nationwide due to NEET mismanagement, paper leaks, and a string of student suicides were now speaking up purely for political convenience.
The rally at the centre of the controversy was organised to mark the assumption of charge by B.K. Hariprasad as the newly appointed President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. The event drew Congress leaders from across the state along with over a lakh party workers. Hariprasad takes over the post from Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who had been serving as KPCC chief before stepping down following his elevation as Chief Minister, in keeping with the Congress party’sone person, one post principle.NEET 2026: Four Students Missed the Exam Due to Congress Rally