Kathmandu— A misunderstanding over serial numbers on OMR sheets and question papers led to a brief disruption during the Karnataka Police Constable recruitment exam at Sharadamba PU College in Tikota, Vijayapura district. Some candidates left the examination centre after claiming that their OMR sheet numbers did not match those of their question papers.

Exam Disruption and Candidate Walkouts

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) conducted the recruitment exam for 1,453 Male and Female Civil Police Constable posts at 61 centres across Vijayapura district on Sunday. At the Tikota centre, confusion arose when some candidates noticed that their OMR sheet numbers did not match those of their question papers. They refused to continue with the examination and walked out of the hall.

District officials explained that under KEA Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), there is no requirement for the serial numbers on OMR sheets and question papers to be identical. Candidates are only required to enter the Question Paper Series Code, Version Code, and their registration number on the OMR sheet.

Authorities' Response

District authorities reported that similar confusion was observed at a few other examination centres but candidates resumed writing after officials clarified the procedure. However, some candidates remained unconvinced and left the Tikota centre campus.

Later, these candidates demanded to be allowed back into the examination hall but were denied re-entry as per examination rules to maintain test integrity. Some of them allegedly created a disturbance outside by attempting to push open the gate to enter again. Police intervened using minimum force to control the situation.

Despite the disruption, over 100 candidates remained inside and completed the exam. KEA also granted additional time to compensate for any delays caused by the confusion.

(With inputs from ANI)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.