There is also a move underway to blacklist him for the controversial question in the third-year BCom, BCA and BBA Foundation Course examinations
NEW DELHI — A professor at Samrat Vikramaditya University in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain has been relieved for framing ‘Is there any god other than Allah?’ while setting the question paper for third-year B.Com, BCA and BBA Foundation Course examinations.
The university administration has relieved the professor from all duties until an investigation is complete. There is also a move underway to blacklist him.
The controversy erupted on Wednesday after students objected to the question in the Hindi subject paper in the Foundation Course. The answer options provided in the MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) test were Someshwar, Khuda, Almighty, and Punisher.
The phrase “There is no god other than Allah” is the sacred declaration of faith in Islam.
As soon as the question paper became viral on social media, Hindu organisations in Ujjain, along with Tarana Congress MLA Mahesh Parmar, and Hindu spiritual leader Shanti Swaroopanand Giri, raised objections and demanded action against the professor, media reports reaching here said.
On Thursday, Vice-Chancellor Arpan Bhardwaj said, “The professor who set the question paper has been relieved of his duties until the investigation is complete. He will not be able to participate in any examination-related work. He has also been asked to explain the reason for setting such a controversial question in the paper.”
Incidentally, University Controller of Examinations M K Dwivedi was quoted on Wednesday as saying that such questions on religion are common in the Hindi subject of the Foundation Course.
Meanwhile, University Registrar Anil Kumar Sharma said, “Based on the Examination Committee’s investigation report, punitive action has been taken against the guilty paper-setter, a professor at the university. The Examination Committee saw the Language and Culture section of the question paper (code K-1041 AB) and clarified in its report that the controversial question was not part of the official syllabus. It was added by the paper-setter on his own, which is a violation of the rules. The Examination Committee’s report has been taken seriously, and a show-cause notice has been issued to the paper-setter, banning him from all university work. Action to blacklist him is also underway.”
