Bengaluru Traffic Police on Tuesday, 23 June issued an official clarification stating that a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant who missed the examination in Bengaluru did so because of a late departure from home — not due to traffic disruptions caused by a Congress rally held in the city on Sunday. The finding, based on CCTV footage and route verification, is set to sharpen an already heated political dispute between the ruling Congress and opposition parties in Karnataka.

What the CCTV Footage Revealed

According to the official statement shared by the office of Home Minister Priyank Kharge, traffic police conducted a detailed review of CCTV recordings and carried out a ground-level route analysis involving the candidate and their parents. The evidence pointed to a clear timeline: the candidate departed from their residence in R.T. Nagar at 12.57 pm, with the stipulated cut-off time for entry into the examination centre set at 1.30 pm. The candidate arrived at the centre at 1.33 pm — three minutes past the deadline.

The statement noted that the candidate had only 33 minutes of travel time before the cut-off and additionally chose a longer route when a shorter alternative was available. Traffic conditions on the day were described as 'generally normal, with no significant congestion attributed to the public event.'

Police Conclusion on Traffic Conditions

The official statement read: 'CCTV analysis and route verification have established that the NEET candidate reached the examination centre after the stipulated cut-off time. Traffic conditions were found to be normal, and traffic police personnel facilitated movement wherever required.'

The conclusion was unambiguous: 'The late arrival was primarily attributed to departing from the residence only 33 minutes before the cut-off time and to selecting a longer travel route. The delay was not caused by traffic congestion arising from the public event.' Police personnel deployed along the route were, according to the statement, actively facilitating vehicular movement.

Political Fallout and Opposition Allegations

The clarification comes amid a charged political atmosphere. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) leaders had launched sharp attacks on the Congress state government, alleging that the rally disrupted student movement on NEET exam day. Opposition leaders drew a pointed contrast with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reportedly waited at the airport in Delhi to allow students to travel to their NEET examination centres without disruption.

Allegations had also spread across social media claiming that traffic restrictions imposed for the Congress rally had prevented multiple students from reaching their centres on time. The police statement directly addressed these claims, asserting that adequate arrangements had been in place to ensure smooth vehicular movement throughout the event.

Scope of the Clarification

The statement was issued alongside a poster summarising the findings, which covered interactions with three candidates and their parents and included a detailed route analysis of the specific candidate from R.T. Nagar. The clarification focused on one candidate's case as the primary illustration, though the broader review reportedly covered all three individuals whose cases had been cited in the controversy.

This comes amid growing national scrutiny of NEET examination logistics, with any disruption to candidate access drawing immediate political and public attention. Whether the findings fully defuse the controversy — or deepen demands for accountability over rally-day planning — will likely depend on how opposition parties and parents' groups respond in the coming days.