Kalaburagi, May 4 -- A protest broke out outside a NEET examination centre in Kalaburagi on Sunday after a candidate was allegedly asked to remove his sacred thread, characteristically worn by Brahmins ("Janeu"), before being allowed to appear for the test.

The incident occurred at the St. Mary's School exam centre, triggering outrage from members of the Brahmin community, who accused the staff of religious insensitivity.

The candidate's father, recounted the events. "The child had gone in for counselling about half an hour ago. What happened was that the child had a sacred thread (called 'Janivaar' or 'Janeu') worn according to our religion, and someone from the staff told him to remove it before entering. The child was crying and told...