The Bengaluru traffic police on Tuesday said the Congress rally was not responsible for the late arrival of a NEET aspirant who missed his exam in the city on June 21.Police said CCTV footage, route analysis and interactions with the candidate and her parents showed that she reached the exam center after the prescribed cut-off time for a late departure from home and the route she chose to take.According to the police, the applicant left his residence in RT Nagar at 12.57 pm. The cut-off time for entering the exam center was 1.30 pm. She arrived at the exam center area at 1:33 p.m., three minutes after the deadline.“CCTV footage and route analysis confirm that the applicant left only 33 minutes before the prescribed cut-off time,” police said.The fact check also said the student traveled a longer route despite a shorter option being available. “The analysis indicates that the applicant traveled by a longer route, despite the availability of a shorter route that could have allowed him to travel faster,” the police said.Police also said that traffic conditions across the road were generally normal and that there was no significant congestion related to the public event. Traffic personnel deployed on the road were seen helping the applicant to move where needed.“Based on the CCTV footage, the interaction with the applicant and parents, and the analysis of the route, the available evidence does not indicate that the traffic congestion caused by the Public Event led to the delay,” the statement said.He added that the late arrival was mainly due to the applicant leaving home only 33 minutes before the cut-off time and choosing a longer travel route.The clarification came after many parents claimed that traffic diversions and congestion caused by a Congress rally had delayed students on their way to examination centres. Outside an exam center in Bengaluru, some students who arrived after the gates were closed were denied entry, leading to protests from parents.Following this, the BJP accused the Congress government in Karnataka of not prioritizing students. The state government responded by pointing out that students have failed exams in other states as well and criticized the BJP over the paper leak controversies.
