NEET candidate delay: Bengaluru Traffic Police rule out event-related congestion

Bengaluru Traffic Police have issued a ‘fact-check report’ regarding a NEET candidate allegedly missing entry to an examination centre due to congestion on June 21.

According to the report, based on CCTV camera footage, interactions with the candidate and her parents, and route analysis, the candidate left her residence at R.T. Nagar at 12.57 pm. The prescribed cut-off time for entry to the examination centre was 1.30 pm. The candidate reached the examination centre area at 1.33 pm, three minutes after the deadline.

Police said CCTV camera footage and route analysis confirmed that the candidate departed from home 33 minutes before the cut-off time. Investigators also found that she had chosen a longer route, despite the availability of a shorter route that could have enabled quicker travel.

The report stated that traffic conditions on the day were generally normal. There was no significant congestion attributable to a public event being held in Bengaluru. Traffic personnel deployed along the route were seen facilitating the candidate’s movement wherever required, the report added.

Concluding its inquiry, the traffic police said the available evidence does not indicate that the delay was the result of traffic congestion caused by the public event. Instead, the late arrival was primarily attributed to the candidate’s late departure from home, and the selection of a longer travel route.

The fact-check was initiated following allegations on social media and in sections of the media that traffic restrictions and congestion linked to a large public gathering in Bengaluru had delayed a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) candidate, causing her to miss the examination. The incident had triggered widespread discussion, with many questioning the traffic management arrangements in place for the event.