In a shocking display of insensitivity and a complete disrespect for India’s diverse cultural fabric, law students of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University were asked an extremely communal and hate inciting question in their examination paper.
The question that appeared in the third semester LLB paper on December 7 read, “Ahmed, a Muslim, kills a cow in a market in the presence of Rohit, Tushar, Manav and Rahul, who are Hindus. Has Ahmed committed any offence?”
At a time when attacks by cow vigilantes have grown across the country and over 80 per cent of those killed in these cases have been Muslims, one wonders what purpose would such a question serve, other than to ignite the flames of anti-minority sentiment? Given how this comes just days after suspected cow vigilantes allegedly killed a police officer in Bulandshahar, the offensive and insensitive question cannot be dismissed lightly.
The matter came to light when a tweet by Supreme Court Advocate Bilal Anwar went viral. The tweet may be seen here:
Meanwhile, the question has been excluded from the exam paper. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Registrar Satnam Singh told The Telegraph, “We regret this question. It is, of course, communal in nature.“The question stands deleted and no marks will be given for it, irrespective of whether a student has attempted it. The controller of examinations will issue an advisory to the examiners so that such things don’t happen in future.”
However, a probe has been ordered into how the question appeared in the exam paper in the first place. If found guilty, the paper setter can be charged under Section 153A (promoting enmity between religious groups) of the Indian Penal Code.