NEET 2026 Bengaluru row: Priyank Kharge rejects BJP rally delay claim

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya earlier referred to visuals aired by local channels of three girl students weeping outside an examination centre in Bengaluru after being disallowed from taking the exam for reportedly arriving late.

Congress leader and Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge (File photo).

3 min readBengaluruJun 22, 2026 11:47 AM IST First published on: Jun 22, 2026 at 11:47 AM IST

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge Sunday dismissed as “ill-founded” the allegation made by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya that NEET students reached a Bengaluru exam centre late due to a Congress rally.

The Karnataka minister said only three students arrived late at the RC College examination centre in central Bengaluru and that there were varied reasons for them being barred from entering the exam halls.

Surya earlier referred to visuals on local channels of three girl students weeping outside the examination centre in Bengaluru after being disallowed from taking the exam for reportedly arriving late.

“Watch the anxious parent narrate the ordeal of reaching late to the NEET exam hall because of Congress rally in Bengaluru,” the BJP MP said on social media while attaching a television visual. In the video, a parent was heard saying the Congress rally delayed a student’s arrival.

“Rahul Gandhi, D.K. Shivakumar, and even the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, do not seem to be concerned. Rahul Gandhi went to Kota for the cause of students, right? But because of his party’s function today, four students missed their examination,” a parent is reported to have said to local news channels.

Refuting the allegation, Kharge said, “A total of 720 students were allotted RC College as their NEET examination centre. Of these, 142 were absent. Three students missed the examination. One student, travelling from Magadi, could not get a bus on time and reached the centre late, resulting in her missing the exam. Another candidate arrived with an old hall ticket belonging to the examination conducted on 03.05.2026, and therefore was not permitted to write the exam,” Kharge said.

“Only one candidate travelling from the RT Nagar side missed the exam, and the exact reason is still being ascertained,” the Karnataka home minister added.

Criticising the Opposition party, Kharge further said, “By the BJP MP’s own logic, if a student missing exam today must be blamed on the Congress rally, then Modi and Dharmendra Pradhan must be held directly responsible for the paper leaks, student distress and deaths and must be thrown out of office.”

Bengaluru witnessed major traffic jams around the Palace Ground area in central Bengaluru on Sunday afternoon on account of multiple events in the neighbourhood, including the oath-taking ceremony of new KPCC president B K Hariprasad.

Traffic advisory

The Bengaluru traffic police had issued an advisory on Saturday with a warning about the likelihood of traffic jams on Sunday.

“On 21.06.2026, numerous events, including International Yoga Day, marathons, and major political programs, are being conducted across Bengaluru city. With a view to ensuring the smooth and orderly movement of traffic for the public, the Bengaluru Traffic Police have implemented certain traffic restrictions and diversions in and around the areas where these events are being held. Furthermore, the NEET examination is also scheduled to be conducted on 21.06.2026,” the police advisory said.

The traffic police asked NEET candidates across Bengaluru to follow their advisories and plan their journeys “so as to reach their respective examination centers well before the scheduled reporting time.”