MALICIOUS QUESTION ON AZAMGARH DROPPED

Succumbing to the strong protest by UP Ulema Council over a controversial question in the Provincial Civil Service exam, regarding Azamgarh being ‘breeding ground of terrorists’, the UP Public Service Commission (UPPSC) decided to cancel the question. In a statement, UPPSC Controller of Examination office said the commission regretted the inclusion of the question in the General Studies paper. The commission has asked examiners not to examine the answer to the question. Now the candidates will be judged out of a maximum of 149 instead of 150 questions. The Ulema Council had said the question maligned the Azamgarh district. The organisation had sent letters to the President, Prime Minister, Chief Secretary of UP government and other authorities. The multiple-choice question in the Provincial Civil Service preliminary exam, held on February 22, had asked: Avibhajit Uttar Pradesh ke kis janpad ko aatankwadiyon ka ek prajanan sthal ke abhidhan se kalankit kiya jane laga hai? (Which district in undivided UP is being maligned as the breeding ground of terrorists?) The Ulema Council had said the question was a deliberate attempt to malign the district.