What started as a normal Class 4 English mid-term exam in Chhattisgarh turned into a major controversy across the state. The issue was not about grammar or spelling, but about one multiple-choice option in the question paper.

The exam paper, which was used in government schools in several districts of the Raipur division, asked students a simple question: “What is Mona’s dog’s name?” The options given were Bala, Sheru, Ram, and none of the above. After the exam was held on January 6 last year, pictures of the question paper were shared on social media and quickly went viral.

Many Hindu organisations objected to the use of the word “Ram” as the name of a dog, saying it hurt religious sentiments. The question paper was distributed in Balodabazar, Bhatapara, Mahasamund, Dhamtari and Gariaband districts.

After the controversy began, the education department started an inquiry. Officials found that the question paper was prepared under the Samagra Shiksha programme. The responsibility of preparing the paper was given to Sampada Bose, an Assistant Project Coordinator.

She said the paper was prepared by an expert committee of five teachers and claimed that the version she shared was not meant to be printed yet. This raised questions about how the paper was printed and distributed.

As the issue grew, the Raipur District Education Officer (DEO) formed a five-member inquiry committeeCha. The committee checked records related to how the paper was prepared, reviewed, and printed. The report confirmed that the controversial option was indeed present in the paper that was finally given to students.

The investigation identified Shikha Soni, head teacher of a government primary school in Tilda, as the person who set the question paper. Namrata Verma, a contractual assistant teacher in Raipur, was the moderator. Both teachers submitted written explanations and apologised.

Shikha Soni said she had meant to type “Ramu”, but the letter “U” was missed by mistake, leading to “Ram” being printed. She called it an unintentional error. The moderator said she did not notice the mistake during review. After the inquiry, the headmistress was suspended, and action was started against the moderator teacher.

Meanwhile, Mahasamund DEO Vijay Lahre said that once the mistake was noticed in his district, the option was removed and new question papers were given. He blamed a printing error and said he had no intention to hurt sentiments. However, the Directorate of Public Instruction has issued him a show-cause notice seeking an explanation.