Bengaluru Traffic Police on Tuesday said that the Congress rally was not responsible for the late arrival of a NEET aspirant who missed her examination in the city on June 21.The police said CCTV footage, route analysis and interactions with the candidate and her parents showed that she reached the examination centre after the prescribed cut-off time due to a late departure from home and the route she chose to take.According to the police, the candidate left her residence in R T Nagar at 12.57 pm. The cut-off time for entry into the examination centre was 1.30 pm. She reached the examination centre area at 1.33 pm, three minutes after the deadline.“CCTV footage and route analysis confirm that the candidate departed only 33 minutes before the prescribed cut-off time,” the police said.The fact-check also said that the student travelled through a longer route despite a shorter option being available. “Analysis indicates that the candidate travelled through a longer route, despite the availability of a shorter route which could have enabled quicker travel,” the police noted.The police further said that traffic conditions across the route were generally normal and that there was no significant congestion linked to the public event. Traffic personnel deployed on the route were seen helping the candidate move wherever required.“Based on CCTV footage, interaction with the candidate and parent, and route analysis, the available evidence does not indicate that traffic congestion caused by the Public Event led to the delay,” the statement said.It added that the late arrival was mainly due to the candidate leaving home only 33 minutes before the cut-off time and choosing a longer travel route.The clarification came after several parents claimed that traffic diversions and congestion caused by a Congress rally had delayed students on their way to examination centres. Outside a Bengaluru exam centre, some students who arrived after the gates closed were denied entry, leading to protests from parents.Following this, the BJP accusing the Congress government in Karnataka of failing to prioritise students. The state government responded by pointing out that students had missed examinations in other states as well and criticised the BJP over paper leak controversies.
