'Class 6 question paper' asking whether Dalits are untouchables sparks controversy
The MCQs, on Muslims and Dalits, reinforce stereotypes
New Delhi, Sep 7: A question purportedly in a class 6 exam asking whether Dalits are untouchables has sparked a controversy in Tamil Nadu, with the paper going viral on social media.
Though the question paper was being circulated on the Internet as linked to one of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan schools, the KVS termed the paper fake, and the Central Board of Secondary Education said it has no role in setting question papers for internal exams.
"Shocked and appalled to see that a Class 6 Kendriya Vidyalaya exam contains questions that propagate caste discrimination and communal division. Those who are responsible for drafting this Question Paper must be prosecuted under appropriate provisions of law," Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president Stalin said in a tweet.
The multiple-choice question asked what does the word Dalit' means and the listed options included foreigners, untouchables, upper class and middle class.
Question no. 17 read: “What do you mean by Dalit?” and choices for answers were: (A) Foreigners (B) Untouchables (C) Middle Class (D) Upper class. Question no. 18 read: “What is the common stereotype about Muslims?” and choices for answers were: (A) They don’t send their girls to school (B) They are pure vegetarian (C) They do not sleep at all at the time of Roza (D) All of them.
AMMK leader TTV Dinakaran issued a statement lashing out at CBSE saying, "I strongly condemn the CBSE for having a lesson on a sensitive topic without basic understanding on how it would impact the minds of the students".
"It is wrong to ask questions in this manner to young children. It sets a bad precedent. Action should be taken against people who have done this," he added.
The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan said it has noticed the fake question paper being circulated on social media claiming it to be of some Kendriya Vidyalaya in Tamil Nadu or Puducherry. "However no evidence has so far been brought to the notice of KVS which may establish that the question paper belongs to a Kendriya Vidyalaya," it said in a statement.
The CBSE said it does not set question papers for internal exams in "any class for any school". "It only conducts board exams for class 10 and 12. The said references to CBSE are therefore found incorrect and unfounded, a senior board official said.
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan also said its RO has reported that none of 49 KVs of Chennai region has prepared such questions.
"It is therefore to clarify that the said Question Paper is NOT related to any Kendriya Vidyalaya. Social media users are requested to refrain from spreading misleading messages."
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ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
