Overview
- Students and some faculty protested on Tuesday after a BHU MA history paper asked how “brahmanical patriarchy” hindered women’s progress in ancient India.
- The Prime Minister’s Office has reportedly asked the university to submit a detailed account through the Varanasi divisional commissioner, and BHU has not issued a public statement.
- Several BHU professors and the Kashi Vidvat Parishad criticized the question as biased against Brahmins, while other academics said the term is standard in caste and gender scholarship.
- Political leaders weighed in, with Congress figures Raghvendra Chaubey and Ajay Rai urging withdrawal of the question and Akhilesh Yadav alleging the row fits a BJP tactic.
- The episode follows recent flashpoints in Uttar Pradesh over caste portrayals, including a police exam question on Brahmins and protests against a film, which heighten scrutiny of curricula and exam framing.