JEE candidates say they missed exam due to Pawan Kalyan's convoy; probe ordered
Though his daughter reached the examination centre at 8.32 am, Anil Kumar said she was denied entry due to being two minutes late
A controversy broke out in Visakhapatnam after over 25 students were barred from appearing in the Joint Entrance Examination (Mains) on Monday morning, as they reportedly arrived late due to traffic restrictions imposed for the smooth passage of Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s convoy.
Also read: Andhra waqf boards struggle with encroachment; will new law bring respite?
The examination was scheduled to begin at 8.30 am at the ION Digital Zone building in Chinnamusidivada, Pendurthi.
Traffic restrictions
B Kalavathi, the mother of a student appearing for the JEE (Mains) 2025, which determines admissions to National Institutes of Technology (NITs), claimed that her son was delayed due to traffic restrictions enforced for Kalyan’s convoy.
“We were stuck in traffic. It was halted because Kalyan was on his way to Araku,” Kalavathi told PTI, adding that the roads were cleared to allow the actor-politician’s convoy to pass.
According to her, they reached NAD junction at 7.50 am but took 42 minutes to cover the remaining distance to the exam centre, arriving too late and being denied entry.
Anil Kumar, another parent, observed that even a five-minute exemption by the examination centre could have saved the day—and possibly an entire academic year—for his daughter, who also missed the exam.
Though his daughter reached the examination centre at 8.32 am, Kumar said she was denied entry due to being two minutes late.
Speaking to the media, a parent appealed to the deputy chief minister to consider rescheduling the exam for the affected students.
Kalyan orders probe
Meanwhile, the Deputy CM has ordered an inquiry into the allegations that traffic restrictions for the passage of his convoy caused delays for some students who were on their way to the JEE exam centre.
Kalyan directed the Vishakhapatnam police to examine the exact duration of the traffic halt, road conditions near exam centres, and the status of service road traffic flow.
“No student should suffer due to administrative movements; our responsibility is to ensure their future is not hindered by protocol,” said Pawan Kalyan in the press release issued late on Monday.
Police deny charge
Earlier, Visakhapatnam police issued a statement denying any connection between the convoy and the students’ late arrival.
Also read: Why fertilisers have emerged as a big enemy of farmers in Andhra Pradesh
“It is clear that the Deputy CM’s movement through the area at 8.41 am has no connection to the late arrival of students, who were expected to report by 7 am and certainly before 8.30 am,” the police said.
Further, the police emphasised that the number of absentees among examinees was the lowest today. “Moreover, no traffic was blocked on the BRTS road or the service roads between Gopalapatnam and Pendurthi at any time before 8.30 am to ensure the free movement of examinees to the examination centre, which is located next to a service road,” the police added.
(With agency inputs)
