Punish those responsible

People responsible for the widely criticised multiple choice questions (MCQs) in the admission test for Rajshahi University's faculty of fine arts must be punished.

The National Coordinating Committee of Religious and Ethnic Minority Organisation made the demand yesterday at a human chain in front of the capital's Jatiya Press Club.

The committee comprises 19 minority organisations, including Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Oikya Parishad (BHBCOP) and Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA).

Hubert Gomez of BHBCOP said, “Bangladesh is a non-communal country and we have to be careful so that it does not become a communal one.” He urged the education minister to investigate the incident and take action against those responsible.

Nirmal Rosario, president of BCA, said preparing such questions was a condemnable act.

Ashoke Barua, general secretary of Bangladesh Buddhist Federation, termed the questions “humiliating”.

Shreemati Padmavati Devi, organising secretary of BHBCOP; Manindra Kumar Nath, co-coordinator of the organisation; and Jayanta Sen Dipu, president of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, also spoke.

Two of the 80 MCQs in the admission test for the university's faculty of fine arts on October 25 have been widely criticised.

One of the questions asked, “What is the name of the greatest book in the world?”

It had four choices: A) The Holy Quran, B) The Holy Bible, C) The Holy Injil and D) Gita.

The other question was, “When did the Myanmar army and the Buddhists launch an armed attack on the Rohingya Muslims?”