Satish Kumar will never forget the Adhikar Rally, but his memories will not be tinged in rainbow hues.

The physically challenged candidate of Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination on Sunday reached the exam centre 20 minutes late after walking 2.5km. He was not allowed to take the exam he said he was confident of clearing.

“I had prepared for six months but all in vain, thanks to the rally,” he said.

Narrating his woes, the son of a private school teacher in Masauri, said: “I reached Patna Junction in a passenger train around 8.30am. My exam was scheduled to start at 10am. I got out of the station and tried to take an autorickshaw to reach Bankipore Girls’ High School (the exam centre). Had I got an auto, I would have been there in 30 minutes.”

But on Sunday, transport was sparse as the supporters of the JD(U) mega rally thronged the streets. “No autorickshaw was ready to take me to my destination,” he said.

Fearing he would be late, Satish began to walk around 9.15am. But that, too, proved to be a Herculean task. The roads were chock-a-block with rally supporters indulging in carnival-like celebrations.

Negotiating the crowds, Satish managed to reach the exam venue only at 10.20am. The centre magistrate did not allow him to take the test. Almost in tears, he came out of the centre and muttered: “I have been disallowed to take the test for no fault of mine.”

Anjani Kumar Srivastava, the magistrate at the centre, said: “According to the instructions of the SSC, Allahabad, the examination was supposed to start at 10am. But we allowed the students to enter the centre till 10.10am because of the rally. It was not possible to allow someone who was 20 minutes late.”

An invigilator, who did not want to be named, said: “By the time he (Satish) arrived, we had informed the SSC, Allahabad, about the number of candidates taking the exam.”

Srivastava added: “For the past two days, the district administration has been asking candidates to take into account the rally and reach the centres on time.”

Satish’s case was not isolated though.

A number of candidates failed to take the SSC exam on Sunday. At Bankipore Girls’ High School, only 260 examinees took the test instead of the 432, who were expected in the first session (10am to 12noon). In the second session (2pm to 4pm), only 293 examinees out of 432 appeared in the exam.