Hundreds of students miss NEET exam in Karnataka due to train delay

Hundreds of students from Karnataka missed the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) on Sunday as their train reached Bengaluru an hour after the scheduled reporting time for the exam, officials said.

Over 13 lakh students had registered for the exam for admission to MBBS and BDS courses which was conducted by the HRD Ministry's National Testing Agency (NTA) for the first time.

The exam was conducted successfully in rest part of the country, officials said.

The 16591- Hampi Express en route Bengaluru reached the city at 2.30 pm due to which hundreds of candidates could not appear in the exam, they said.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took to twitter saying, "Mr. @narendramodi, You pat your own back for others' achievements but will you also take the responsibility for your cabinet min' incapabilities. Hundreds of students in Karnataka may not be able to take up NEET because of delay in the train services".

On Saturday, the HRD Ministry had announced the postponement of the NEET exam in Odisha in view of the Cyclone Fani.

The NTA had on Friday announced changes in some centres owing to the Lok Sabha elections and advised students to download fresh admit cards.

As per the official guidelines, students appearing for NEET were supposed to be dressed in light clothes with short sleeves worn with salwar/trouser.

The NEET dress code barred students from wearing any outfit having big buttons, brooch/badge and flower. The NTA had notified candidates will be subjected to extensive and compulsory frisking before entering the examination centre using metal detectors.

The answer keys for the entrance examination will be available by the night giving students an opportunity to evaluate their performance.