Periyar varsity in trouble for a question on caste in exam paper

Chennai: The State Higher Education Department would appoint a committee to go into a faux pas committed by the History Department of the Periyar University in Salem in framing an insensitive question on caste in an examination paper, an official statement said on Friday.

The department would take appropriate action based on the findings of the committee, the statement said.

A controversy erupted over the objective type question, ‘Which one is the lower caste belongs to Tamil Nadu’ with the options given as (a) Mahars, (b) Nadars, (c) Ezhavas and (d) Harijans, in the examination paper for MA History students.

Many activists and political leaders raised a hue and cry over it and many media outlets went to town condemning the government-run university for the question that was asked in the paper  ‘Freedom Movement in Tamil Nadu from 1880 to 1947’ for the second semester examination in June, 2022.

Among the political leaders, who reacted to the controversy was PMK founder S Ramadoss, who said that question had been set with caste vengeance and hatred. It was unpardonable that the atrocity had happened at the University named after Periyar E V Ramasamy who fought against caste atrocities, he said.

The university authorities had tried to gloss over the mistake by saying that the question paper was outsourced. However, activists said that there was a system in place in the university to check the questions before distributing the papers to students in the examination hall.