Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has initiated an inquiry into a series of questions on the Bhil tribe asked in an examination conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission on Sunday, including one presuming its criminal nature.
“In my lifetime, I have always respected and honoured tribals and Bhils. For this condemnable act, those responsible should surely be punished, so that it is not repeated in the future,” Mr. Nath wrote on Twitter on Monday.
In the preliminary examination, one of the questions, based on a passage on the tribe, read: “The primary reason for the criminal nature of Bhils is”, with the four options as “inability to pay liabilities”, “working with honesty”, “carrying out immoral work” and “migrating from villages”.
“I have done several works for the betterment and uplift of this category,” wrote Mr. Nath. “I have been connected to this category since the beginning. Even my government is committed to their uplift and has been continuously working for it.”
Terming such reference to the tribe in the question paper unfortunate, State Minister for Forests Umang Singhar said, “The community from which brave people like Tantia Bhil come, such comments are questionable. For including questions like this, a case under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act should be registered against the officials who set the question paper.”
This not just indicated a lack of discipline among officials, said Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader Gopal Bhargava, but was a grave affront to B.R. Ambedkar. “Mr. Nath should take cognisance of the issue and take strict action against those violating the code of conduct of civil servants. “
