Question in WBBSE test paper asks students to mark 'Azad Kashmir'; Union Minister seeks probe

On Tuesday, what appeared to be an image of a question from the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) test paper, kicked up a row in West Bengal after the question concerned directed students to mark, among other places, 'Azad Kashmir' on a map.

Kolkata: Controversy arose on Tuesday over the purported image of a question from the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) test paper, which uses the text 'Azad Kashmir' to denote portions under Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, directing students to mark it in the map, apart from other places. Having gone viral on social media, Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar urged the State government to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

The test paper, released for Class X students, contained the question originally issued from the exercise book of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Vidyamandir, Malda. In sub-section 2.4, The students have been asked to mark the 'Azad Kashmir', the place where Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha movement was launched, as well as the Chittagong battleground. Notably, ETV Bharat has not verified the authenticity of the image in question.

"This kind of negative narrative that is being tried to inculcate among the students is wrong. The State government here has a habit of appeasement. I urge the state Education Minister to look into this. If this is found to be true, action should be taken against both the publisher and paper setter, the question should be immediately deleted," he said.

West Bengal Board of Secondary Education President Ramanuj Ganguly said a probe will be conducted into the matter and necessary action will be taken accordingly. "We have not yet know what prompted the test paper setter to include a question like that. We will find it out and take necessary action," he added.