Lucknow, March 15 Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay said on Sunday that including "Pandit" as one of the answer options to a question on opportunists during a police recruitment exam was a "deliberate misdeed committed by a mentally-challenged paper-setter who intended to disrupt the harmony of Hindu society".
A question in the Hindi section of the Uttar Pradesh Police Sub-Inspector recruitment examination conducted on March 14, 2026, asked candidates to choose a one-word answer for "one who changes according to a situation".
The answer options included "Pandit", "Opportunist", "Innocent" and "Virtuous".
Strongly objecting to this in a statement, Upadhyay said that the word "Pandit" was not an appropriate answer option.
"This misdeed was deliberately committed by a mentally-challenged paper-setter who intended to disrupt the harmony of Hindu society. Such an act impacts social harmony and hurts the sensibilities of a particular community."
He said that any comment, statement or title that is derogatory to any caste, class or tradition should never be accepted.
"Just a few days ago, the title of a film was presented in a similar derogatory manner," he said, referring to a Manoj Bajpayee-starrer, earlier titled 'Ghooskhor Pandat'. The makers have not finalised the new title yet.
In the police recruitment exam row, Upadhyay said that such "anti-social" paper-setters should be identified and punished as quickly as possible, so that anyone making derogatory comments about society becomes cautious in the future.
Meanwhile, in a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on March 15, NISHAD Party MLA Vipul Dubey said that the question was clearly asked in a wrong manner.
"It shows the mentality of insulting the intellectual community. This not only raises questions on the impartiality of the examination, but is also an effort to tarnish the image of the government, trigger caste-based tension and disrupt social harmony," said the MLA from Gyanpur in Bhadohi district.
NISHAD Party is a BJP ally.
An organisation in Gomtinagar area of Lucknow also conducted a protest on the issue on Sunday.
On March 14, BJP MLA from Deoria, Shalabh Mani Tripathi, had also written to the chief minister demanding an impartial and high-level probe into the matter, review of the process of making and approval of question papers, initiation of strict action against individuals or organisations found guilty in the current matter, and issuance of effective directions to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board has ordered an inquiry into the matter after BJP leaders raised objections over it.
A political row was triggered after Uttar Pradesh BJP secretary Abhijat Mishra wrote to Adityanath seeking action against those responsible for framing the question, saying that the answer option hurt the sentiments of the Brahmin community.
"The correct meaning of a person who changes according to the opportunity is 'opportunist', but including 'Pandit' among the options hurts the sentiments of that community," Mishra said, adding that the term "Pandit" is associated with knowledge and religious respect.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said the government has taken a serious note of the matter and ordered an immediate investigation.
The controversy comes days after opposition parties accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of being "anti-Brahmin" following the alleged mistreatment of religious leader Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati during the Magh Mela in Prayagraj.