PoK termed ‘Azad Kashmir’ in MP exam, 2 teachers suspended

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education on Saturday suspended two officials after the class 10 question paper for social science referred to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) as Azad Kashmir.

The question papers were distributed to students appearing for the exam on Saturday.

After the questions came to light, chief minister Kamal Nath directed authorities to take action against the teachers responsible for setting the question paper.

Media coordinator of the state unit of the ruling Congress, Narendra Saluja, said, “Chief minister Kamal Nath expressed his annoyance over the objectionable question and directed the authorities to take stern action.”

Public relations officer of the MPBSE, SK Chaursiya, said the commissioner of the Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI) had suspended Nitin Singh Jat, a teacher with Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Raisen, who had set the paper, and question paper moderator Rajneesh Jain, who is a lecturer with Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Narsinghpur.

Chaurasiya added that the questions had been dropped from the paper.

“Both the questions have been dropped and the paper will now be evaluated for 90 marks,” he said.

Meanwhile, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party hit out at the Congress and said the party had “no respect for the country”.

State BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said, “The question asked in the board exam paper and earlier in MPPSC exam paper only reflected the mindset of the Congress towards people and the country. It’s not unusual. The party has no respect for people and the country.”