The question “Who changes according to occasion?” in Uttar Pradesh, a police recruitment exam sparked controversy after one of the options given in the written paper was “Pandit”, drawing objections from the ruling BJP.
To answer the question asked on March 14 in the recruitment of sub-inspectors, candidates had to choose the correct one-word answer for the person who varies according to the occasion. The options were: “Pandit”, “Opportunist”, “Innocent” and “Virtuous”.
Uttar Pradesh BJP secretary Abhijat Mishra, who belongs to the Brahmin community, has written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath raising objections to the issue and seeking action against those responsible for preparing the newspaper.
In his letter, Mr. Mishra said the question appeared to be ill-worded and insensitive. “The correct meaning of a person who changes with the occasion is ‘opportunist’, but including ‘Pandit’ among the options hurts the sentiments of a particular community,” he said.
“‘Pandit’ is a term associated with knowledge and religious respect. Associating it with opportunism is inappropriate, insensitive and could have been done deliberately,” Mr Mishra said.
The controversy comes on the heels of the alleged ill-treatment of Swami Avimukteshwaran and Saraswati during the Magh Mela in Prayagraj, after which opposition parties accused the BJP government of being “anti-Brahmin”.
In this context, the latest issue threatens to snowball into another political controversy, especially since the objection came from the leader of the ruling party itself.
Mr. Mishra urged the state government to order an immediate ministerial inquiry against the members of the committee responsible for drafting the question paper and to take strict action if any wrongdoing is found.
He also demanded that the question be officially dismissed or corrected, and called for greater sensitivity in drafting trial documents in the future.
Published – 15 March 2026 04:34 IST
