The Press Trust of India (PTI) on Tuesday, August 4, apologised to Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge after admitting it had misinterpreted his remarks on the controversy surrounding the police constable recruitment examination in Karnataka. The news agency withdrew its earlier social media post, but Kharge said the apology could not undo the damage caused by the misinformation.

The controversy centred on Kharge’s response to the opposition’s demands for his resignation over the police constable recruitment examination. Speaking to reporters on August 3, Kharge had said, “Yeah, I will resign. Let them first... 25 days, let them go on hunger strike. Then if they don't control, we will do one lathicharge, and then I will resign. Just like how they did for this thing...”

The Minister’s remark was misreported as referring to the student protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar who had sought the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. In a post on X, PTI said, “Mr Priyank Kharge’s statement was misinterpreted, and the word 'aspirants' was inadvertently ascribed to him in an earlier X post (August 3, 2026). We have withdrawn the post. The error is deeply regretted.”

In a separate letter to Kharge, PTI Editor (Visual Media) Shazi Zaman apologised for what the agency described as a “human error”.

“This is regarding the misunderstanding caused over your remarks to the media on August 3, 2026. It is unfortunate that a human error at our end resulted in such a misunderstanding. We have taken corrective steps, including rectifying the mistake as well as seeking an explanation from the person concerned. We apologise for the error. We hope you would consider this matter as closed,” the letter said.

Responding to the apology, Kharge said the misinformation had not only been amplified by political parties but had also been picked up by independent content creators on social media.

“Who is going to undo the damage now? How many creators can realistically be held accountable for spreading misinformation once it has gone viral?” he asked, adding that “responsible journalism is increasingly becoming a myth in India.”

The remarks were made against the backdrop of protests over the police constable recruitment examination held on August 2. Hundreds of candidates at Sharadamba PU College in Tikota, Vijayapura district, boycotted the written examination, alleging delays in the distribution of question papers and irregularities in the handling of question papers and OMR sheets.

Candidates alleged that question papers, scheduled to be distributed at 10.30 am, reached them about 30 minutes late. They also alleged that the procedure for distributing question papers and OMR sheets varied across classrooms, prompting many to walk out and demand a re-examination.

Addressing reporters, Kharge rejected the allegations of irregularities and said the controversy stemmed from a “misunderstanding” among a section of candidates over the serial numbers on the OMR sheets and question booklets.

“There was some misunderstanding among the candidates saying that the OMR serial number and the question booklet serial number have to be the same. It is not necessary, nor have we specified anywhere,” he said.

He said only a small group of candidates had walked out despite being informed they would not be allowed to return. “It is just a handful of them who thought it was necessary and they walked out, despite us telling them that once you walk out, you cannot come back in. When they realised what they had done was not wise, they wanted to come back. But once you leave the premises with the OMR sheets, you cannot come back in. Let us see what can be done about that,” he said.

According to reports, candidates who left the examination hall carrying question papers and OMR sheets were denied re-entry, as it violated Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) rules.

Defending the police action against protesters, Kharge said authorities had to ensure the examination proceeded without disruption.

Kharge also dismissed calls for his resignation by drawing a comparison with the PSI recruitment scam under the previous BJP government.

“They should first explain why the then Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and the then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai did not resign during the PSI recruitment scam,” he said, adding that “lakhs of people wrote the examination and there is a problem only with around 120 people.”

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