Viral video of students crowding in front of a COMEDK centre draws flak. Social distancing maintained, say authorities

A viral video of students crowding outside a COMEDK venue in Bengaluru has created a lot of hue and cry among students and parents. The Karnataka common entrance examinations were held in over 342 centres across the country.
 

The video, which is believed to be from Ion digital zone in Bannerghatta shows students queued up without maintaining social distancing outside the exam venue before the examinations. Sukheth, a student who had shared this video tells us that it was shot by a friend of his who wrote the exam. "I can recognise this venue really well. Last month, I had gone there to write my IIIT Hyderabad entrance. However, at that time, there were blocks marked for students to stand, maintaining proper distance. This was strictly followed then," he says. He also said that a few students had left the venue without writing the examinations, fearing COVID spread. On Tuesday, Karnataka reported 7,665 new COVID cases, of which 2,242 were from Bengaluru.

The COMEDK organisers, on the other hand, said that protocols were properly followed in every examination centre. "We can't ensure social distancing on the road that leads to the exam centre. We have given a particular entry time to the candidates so that they don't have to spend more than two minutes in the entrance. If they jaywalk, they may find themselves in a crowd," said Dr S Kumar, Executive Secretary of COMEDK.