THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday lashed out at Kerala government for conducting the Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical (KEAM) entrance examination amid the coronavirus crisis. Tharoor's statement came hours after two candidates who attended the exam and a parent of another candidate tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Tharoor, the government should have responded better to the situation by postponing the exam. 'I had urged the CM to postpone the examination. Kerala is now paying a heavy price due to the irresponsible decision taken by the state government', he wrote on his official Facebook page.

Earlier, several reports claimed that thousands of students and parents had ignored social distancing norms at the exam centres. Following this, the government was widely criticised for its decision to conduct the exam amid the pandemic.