Students were asked to remove bracelet, kripan to take test, say parents

Parents of some Sikh students have alleged that their children were asked to remove religious symbols like kirpan and kada (bracelet) to gain entry at some centres in Chandigarh for the PGIMER entrance test. The candidates, who also included girls, were later allowed to take the test yesterday and were also compensated for the loss of time, they said.

The institute officials, however, said there was no intention to hurt religious feelings of anyone, and it was part of the measures to check cheating during the examination. In 2012, a cheating racket was busted during the post graduate entrance test conducted by the institute. Students were found copying using hi-tech gadgets, earphones and other miniature electronic devices.

Meanwhile condemning the incident, apex Sikh religious body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday requested Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil to take stern action duty officers at these centres for "harassing" the students. In a statement issued at Amritsar, SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar said Sikh students were asked to remove their 'kirpan' and 'kada' to gain entry to the examination hall.