Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has come under fire after appearing to mock candidates protesting alleged irregularities in the Civil Police Constable recruitment examination, saying they could continue their agitation for weeks before facing a “lathi charge.”
Responding to demands for his resignation over the controversy, Kharge remarked, “Yeah, I will resign. Let them first 25 days, let them go on hunger strike. Then if they don’t control, we will do one lathi charge, and then I will resign.”
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge sarcastically said he would resign only after aspirants endured a 25-day hunger strike and lathicharge, drawing a comparison with the response to the NEET paper leak. #PriyankKharge #Karnataka #NEET #PaperLeak #Politics #ExamRow… pic.twitter.com/9tQtcDF0W9
— Deccan Chronicle (@DeccanChronicle) August 3, 2026
The remarks came a day after protests erupted at a police constable recruitment examination centre in Karnataka’s Vijayapura district, where hundreds of aspirants boycotted the written test, alleging serious lapses in its conduct. Candidates at Sharadamba PU College in Tikota claimed that question papers reached them nearly 30 minutes late and that the procedure for distributing question papers and OMR sheets varied across classrooms, prompting many to walk out and demand a re-examination.
Several aspirants alleged that the irregularities had disadvantaged candidates who had spent years preparing for the recruitment process. Officials, however, rejected the allegations, maintaining that the examination was conducted strictly in accordance with the Karnataka Examinations Authority’s Standard Operating Procedure. Candidates who walked out carrying question papers and OMR sheets were reportedly not permitted to re-enter the examination hall as they had violated KEA rules.
The written examination, conducted at over 800 centres across Karnataka for recruitment to 3,991 Civil Police Constable posts, saw around 4.54 lakh candidates appear. While similar complaints surfaced from a few other centres, officials said most candidates resumed writing the examination after supervisors explained the prescribed procedure.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka accused the Congress government of administrative failure and demanded Kharge’s resignation, cancellation of the examination at the affected centre, a re-test, and an independent inquiry. He also claimed that similar irregularities had been reported from Haveri and Hassan.
Rejecting the opposition’s demand for his resignation, Kharge questioned why BJP leaders were not held to the same standard during the Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) recruitment scam under the previous government.
“So if the people who are seeking my resignation should answer, why didn’t Mr. Bommai resign when the PSI scam happened? Why didn’t Mr. Araga Jnanendra resign when the PSI scam happened?” he said.
The minister also sought to minimise the scale of the controversy, claiming that only a small number of candidates had raised objections despite lakhs appearing for the examination.
“Yesterday, lakhs of people wrote exams, and there’s a problem only with close to around 120 people,” Kharge said.
His remarks have triggered criticism from opposition leaders and several aspirants, who accused the Home Minister of displaying insensitivity towards candidates seeking a fair and transparent recruitment process. The controversy has further intensified the political row over the conduct of recruitment examinations in Karnataka, with the opposition pressing for accountability and a fresh inquiry into the alleged irregularities.
