A class 7 question paper in Bihar has sparked off a controversy after it allegedly mentioned Kashmir as a separate country. The Bharatiya Janata Party alleged a conspiracy and sought a probe by the Union Education Ministry.
The question paper was reportedly prepared by the Bihar Education Department which had conducted the midterm examinations for classes 1-8 from October 12 to October 18.
One of the questions in the Class 7 exam paper was: "What are the people of the following countries called? One is done for you."
Giving the example of 'Chinese' for people of China, the question asked students to write how people in Nepal, England, Kashmir, and India are called.
"...Bihar government is still silent on my concern that they feel Kashmir as not a part of India. This question itself advocates that the officials in Bihar government consider Kashmir as a different country as Nepal, England, China, and India," BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal wrote on Facebook, sharing an image of the question paper.
"(Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar is so restless with his desire to become the prime minister that they are inflicting anti-national question papers on the children of class 7,” he further said.
As the controversy raged in, Rural Development Minister Shrawan Kumar said the matter will be investigated and those responsible will be punished.