A Karnataka Police Constable recruitment examination was disrupted at the Tikota examination centre in Vijayapura district on Sunday after a section of candidates walked out, claiming the serial numbers printed on their Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) answer sheets did not match those on their question papers.
The examination, conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) for the recruitment of 1,453 Male and Female Civil Police Constable posts, was held across Karnataka, including 61 centres in Vijayapura district.
The confusion escalated into protests outside the examination centre, with some candidates later attempting to re-enter after officials clarified that matching serial numbers were not required under KEA’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Authorities denied re-entry in line with examination rules, and police intervened when protesters allegedly attempted to push through the entrance gate. Officials said minimum force was used to restore order, while KEA extended the examination time for candidates who remained inside.
The authority has since sought a detailed report into the incident, reiterated that no procedural irregularity occurred, and blamed misinformation circulating on social media for triggering the confusion. It has also urged aspirants to rely only on official instructions rather than unverified online claims.
Exam Confusion Sparks Protest
The incident unfolded shortly after the written examination began at 9.30 am at the Tikota centre. According to district officials, the question papers arrived on time and were distributed strictly in accordance with KEA’s examination protocol. OMR answer sheets were then issued separately to candidates, as prescribed under the authority’s SOP.
During the examination, several aspirants noticed that the serial numbers printed on their OMR sheets differed from those on the question papers. Believing the discrepancy indicated a procedural lapse that could invalidate their answer sheets, some candidates refused to continue and walked out of the examination hall. Similar doubts reportedly surfaced at a few other centres, but officials there were able to reassure candidates, who resumed writing the examination after receiving clarification.
KEA later clarified that there is no requirement for the serial numbers on question papers and OMR sheets to match. Instead, candidates are only required to correctly enter the Question Paper Series Code, Version Code and Registration Number on their OMR sheets. According to the authority, this instruction is clearly mentioned in official notifications, candidate instruction booklets and guidelines issued to examination centres.
At the Tikota centre, however, a section of candidates remained unconvinced and left the premises. When they later sought permission to return and complete the examination, authorities refused, citing examination rules that prohibit candidates from re-entering once they leave the centre to protect the integrity of the recruitment process.
According to officials, some of those who had exited allegedly created a disturbance outside the centre and attempted to force their way back inside by pushing the entrance gate. Police personnel intervened and restored order using what authorities described as minimum force, while more than 100 candidates who remained inside completed the examination. KEA subsequently granted additional time to compensate for the delay caused by the confusion.
Speaking to ANI, Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner K. Anand said the examination rules had already been communicated to candidates through their admit cards. “This is clearly mentioned in the general instructions on every admit card: even if someone finishes the paper early, they have to remain in the examination centre until the final bell and submit the answer sheet to the Centre Supervisor and Invigilator. Before the examination is complete, KEA property cannot be taken outside the premises,” he said.
Anand added that after leaving the centre, some candidates attempted to return and disrupted those who were still writing the examination. “They came back and tried to create problems for the candidates who were writing the exam by pushing the gate and demanding to be allowed inside again.
In that situation, the police handled it with minimum force. Because of the confusion, there was a delay, and KEA provided additional time so that candidates could complete the examination before submitting their OMR sheets as per the SOP,” he said.
KEA Blames Social Media Misinformation
Following the incident, KEA issued an official clarification stating that the confusion had arisen due to misinformation circulating on social media, where posts allegedly claimed that the serial numbers on OMR sheets and question papers had to be identical. The authority stressed that no such requirement exists in its official examination guidelines and that candidates had misunderstood the purpose of the printed serial numbers.
KEA appealed to candidates and the wider public not to circulate unverified information about examination procedures, warning that misinformation during recruitment examinations can create unnecessary panic and disrupt an otherwise orderly process. It reiterated that candidates should rely only on official notifications, admit cards and instructions issued at examination centres.
Although the authority maintained that the recruitment examination was conducted according to the prescribed SOP across Karnataka, it has sought a detailed report on the events at the Tikota centre. The report is expected to examine how the misunderstanding arose, whether all procedures were followed correctly and the sequence of events that led to the protest and subsequent police intervention.
At present, officials have not announced any plans for a re-examination. The recruitment process for 1,453 Civil Police Constable posts is expected to continue as scheduled, with KEA maintaining that the examination itself remains valid because the alleged OMR mismatch did not constitute any procedural irregularity.
The incident has also reignited broader conversations about the impact of misinformation on high-stakes competitive examinations. In recent years, recruitment and entrance examinations across India have increasingly been accompanied by rumours, unofficial advisories and viral social media claims, often leading to confusion among candidates.
Experts have repeatedly urged examination authorities to strengthen official communication channels while encouraging aspirants to verify information through authentic sources rather than relying on circulating messages.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Competitive examinations shape the futures of thousands of young people, making clarity, transparency and trust indispensable to the recruitment process. While authorities have clarified that the OMR serial number mismatch did not violate any examination rule, the incident highlights how quickly misinformation can influence decision-making and escalate tensions in high-pressure environments.
It also underscores the importance of timely communication from examination authorities, robust awareness campaigns before examinations and responsible use of social media by candidates and the public alike.
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