The answer to a question in the Uttar Pradesh Sub Inspector (SI) recruitment examination has created a stir. Ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party’s state minister Abhijat Mishra has written a letter to CM Yogi Adityanath demanding an investigation and taking action against the culprits, while Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak has also objected to the option given in response to a question. He has said that the government has ordered an investigation into this matter. He himself is against using derogatory words against any caste, community or tradition. BJP respects everyone.
The examination for Sub Inspector recruitment was organized by the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Board in four shifts on 14 and 15 March 2026. In the question paper distributed on March 14, the question asked at number three in General Hindi is – Select one word for this phrase which changes as per the occasion. Four options have been given in response to this. A. Pundit, B. Opportunist, C. Sincere, D. Virtuous.
The use of the word Pandit in just this question and answer has created a ruckus. The examination will also be held in two shifts on March 15. About 15 lakh candidates are appearing in this examination for about 45 hundred posts. About eleven hundred centers have been set up in all the districts of the state. Only they know what decision the government or the board will take in this matter, but such a light question raises questions about the sanctity of the question paper.
Now the question arises that what is the complete process of preparing question paper for any competitive examination? Who puts the final seal on it? If everything is foolproof then how do such useless questions become a part of any question paper?
There is a formula for preparing question papers in every competitive examination.
There is almost the same formula for preparing question papers for exams like Union Public Service Commission, SSC, State Public Service Commission, Engineering, Medical, Banking or UP SI. There is a arrangement to keep this entire process extremely confidential. In this, special care is taken of security and fairness. There are certain steps fixed for this. Question papers are prepared accordingly.
Controversy has erupted on this question.
Who prepared the question paper of UP SI exam?
There is an uproar over a word written in the answer to a question in the question paper of the SI exam. The ultimate responsibility of conducting this exam rests with the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board. The board has its own limited capacity. Its head is a Director General level officer. There is a team of police officers with him.
In such a situation, this organization has always been giving the responsibility of preparing question papers to some agency. This agency has the entire work of searching for experts, checking the question papers, printing them and processing them further. It is also possible that the agency may have involved some other agency as well. Because it is certain that if the question paper had been scrutinized properly, the disputed questions or answers would not have reached the candidates. At a time when there is some controversy going on in the state over the word Pandit, its sensitivity increases further.
About 15 lakh candidates are appearing in this examination for about 45 hundred posts.
The agency may get punished but the board is also accountable
On the condition of anonymity, an official said that the conditions on which the work has been allotted to the agency mainly include preparing question banks, checking errors in them, preparing sets of question papers as per the rules and sending them to the examination centres, taking care of confidentiality. There is also a provision for punishment to the agency if any kind of lapse is found. But the final responsibility lies with the board only. Even in the latest controversy, the responsibility lies with him, not the agency. Because the agency cannot be brought forward. It will be interesting to see what decision the state government takes in this matter?
Panel of experts prepares question paper
Prestigious examination conducting bodies like National Testing Agency, Union Public Service Commission prepare a panel of eminent professors, retired officers and subject experts from across the country. The identity of these experts is kept completely secret. Even one expert does not know who the other expert is. No one knows how many experts the private agency took help of for this work in UP SI exam. Nowadays, there are many software available in the market which prepare questions and answers according to the subject. Because the question on which there is controversy cannot be passed by any expert of Hindi language. If an expert has done this then it could be an intentional act.
Creation of question bank is also necessary in these examinations.
Under the prescribed procedure, experts are asked to prepare questions on different topics. They are given detailed written instructions regarding the syllabus and level of difficulty. These experts prepare many times more questions, which are stored in a secure question bank. In this case, information about making eight sets of question papers is coming to light. But experts are surrounded by questions.
We have strong objection to the options given to a question in the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Examination. The government has taken it seriously. If any question hurts the dignity of any society or class then it is absolutely not acceptable.
I want to say clearly that any
— Brajesh Pathak (@brajeshpathakup) March 14, 2026
Moderation process is important
Moderation process is the most important stage in any competitive exam. A designated committee reviews these questions. It is the responsibility of the committee to see whether any questions are outside the prescribed syllabus. Is there more than one correct answer to any question? Is the language of the questions clear or not? According to the instructions, is the balance of easy, medium and difficult questions correct or not? The flaw in this process is also clearly visible in the question paper of SI exam.
Final selection and seal
When a large set of questions is prepared, the controller of examination of the conducting body or a high level committee appointed by him selects the final question paper sometime before the examination. Often two or three different sets of question papers are kept ready, so that in case of any emergency or paper leak, the second set can be used immediately. The final selection has the seal or official approval of the controller of examinations.
Printing and security are extremely important
Selected question papers are sent to a highly secured printing press. The employees working here are completely cut off from the outside world. After printing, the papers are kept in sealed boxes and transported to the examination centers or bank strong rooms under tight security. Every person involved in this entire process has to take a legal oath of secrecy. If any information is leaked, there is a provision of strict legal action and even jail against the person concerned. Thus, a competitive exam question comes before the candidate after several levels of scrutiny and monitoring by experts.
Institutions like National Testing Agency can play an important role
Institutions like National Testing Agency have been created to maintain the sanctity of the examination. They have a huge list of subject experts. They are invited from all over the country. Probably that is why the Union Public Service Commission or the National Testing Agency does not get involved in such controversies. State Public Service Commission and other agencies of the states often come into controversies due to their weak network. Cases like question paper leak also happen due to this weakness. Institutions like Police Recruitment Boards present in the states can take help from the National Testing Agency. Otherwise, such disputes have occurred frequently in the past and will continue to occur in the future.
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