The controversy over the question related to “bad omen” asked in the junior engineer (JE) recruitment exam held by Haryana Service Staff Commission (HSSC) has refuses to die down.
Agitated over the multiple choice objective question which allegedly insulted the “Brahmins”, various Brahmin organisations on Monday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi urging strict action against those responsible for faux pas in the HSSC exam.
The Union Minister has assured the delegation to take up the matter with Chief Minister Manohar lal and taking strict action against the erring persons.
The question paper given to the applicants on April 10 for recruitment as junior engineer for Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) had a question about ‘sign of a bad omen prevalent in Haryana’. The options had included: seeing an empty pitcher, a casket full of fuel, meeting with a black Brahmin or sight of a Brahmin girl.
The question stirred a controversy with various Brahmin organizations and opposition parties, launching a fierce attack against the BJP led Haryana Government and seeking sacking of HSSC chairperson besides an FIR against those responsible for putting up such a question.
While the HSSC has already announced to withdraw the question, the controversy, it seems, is far from over.
World Brahmin Federation and various Brahmin organizations from Haryana met the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma to seek their intervention into the matter.
“We have apprized the Union Home Minister about the entire matter and urged him to look into the issue. It is highly condemnable that such a question was asked to insult the Brahmin community,” said RS Goswani, president of World Brahmin Federation, while talking to The Pioneer.
The delegation which included around 25 people has demanded sacking of HSSC chairperson, Bharat Bhushan Bharti and registration of an FIR against those responsible for putting up the controversial question in the exam.
Goswami said that Rajnath Singh has expressed regret over the mistake and assured us to take up the matter with Haryana CM. Singh has also assured us of strict action against the erring persons, he said.
If our demands are not met, we will hold peaceful protest and also take legal action in the matter, he added.
Earlier in the day, the delegation had met Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma in the national capital over the issue.
After the meeting, Ram Bilas Sharma while talking to the mediapersons expressed regret over the mistake and also hinted at a possible conspiracy to insult a particular community.
“The Chief Minister who is on a tour to UK will return on Tuesday and I will meet him to demand an FIR to punish those behind the conspiracy of asking such a question in HSSC exam,” said Sharma.
He added that Brahmin community is hurt due to this and such a question should not have been asked in the exam.
last week, the HSSC in a statement had stated that it has already withdrawn the question and the mistake was inadvertent and unintentional.
Protests are being held in various parts of Haryana demanding sacking of HSSC chairperson and an FIR to investigate the issue.
The Congress leaders have demanded registration of a criminal case and sedition charges in the matter.