The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) conducted the written examination for 3,991 civil police constable posts. (Representational image, enhanced by AI)Candidates walked out of a police constable recruitment test in Karnataka on Sunday alleging irregularities in the distribution of question papers and OMR sheets and demanding a retest, officials said.The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) conducted the written examination for 3,991 civil police constable posts. Over 4,54,532 lakh candidates are participating in the recruitment drive held at 884 centres in the state under strict CCTV surveillance and other security measures.At Sri Sharadamba PU College in Tikota, Vijayapura, candidates alleged that the codes on question papers and OMR sheets did not match. By the time supervisors addressed the confusion, many candidates had walked out of the centre with OMR sheets and were not allowed inside again when they tried to re-enter.A candidate alleged that the question papers were distributed more than 30 minutes after the scheduled time of 10.30 am.Also Read | Explained: Karnataka’s Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scam, in which a serving ADGP has been arrestedThe protesters also claimed that the distribution process varied across classrooms, with some receiving question papers before OMR sheets and others getting OMR sheets first, leading to widespread confusion.Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner Anandh K, Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi, and other officials visited the examination centre to assess the situation.While some candidates continued to take the examination, many others refused to return to the hall and reiterated their demand for a fresh test.Story continues below this ad“Some of the aspirants tried to barge in by breaking the gate, and the police used minimum force to take them into preventive custody. They were released after formalities,” Nimbargi said.The police officer cited the exam’s integrity while seeking to justify the decision to disallow the protesters from re-entering the hall.There was a delay of 5-10 minutes, and the KEA was ready to provide additional time, according to officials.Speaking to the media, Anandh said the examination was held at 61 centres in the district, and 24,434 students had registered for it. Of them, 23,184 students appeared for it.Story continues below this adHowever, out of 432 students registered at Sri Sharadamba PU College, only 120 appeared for the examination.