Indian Civil Service exam question asks: Are state governors puppets?

Who is this joke on, really? Students hoping to win civil service appointments in Bihar found themselves faced with a scalp-itch-inducing question. In this year’s annual examination, on July 14, they were asked to examine the role of the governor in state politics in India, particularly in Bihar. Next came the shocking part. They were asked, ‘Is he [the governor] a mere puppet?’

The screenshot of this paper has been the rounds on social media, with many users expressing their distaste for the office.

A twitter handle called onlyonenetra, for instance, said the post is just one that means a waste of money. While another, neher_who, said the question was incomplete. The account called for the addition of the statement ‘just like other state governers’ to the question.

Meanwhile, Indian media outlets quoted Bihar Public Service Commission officials who quickly refused blame. They reportedly said no commission members had been asked to set the questions, and while there was nothing wrong with the question on the governor’s role, terms such as ‘puppets’ are deplorable.

Bihar has over the years faced whiplash from a number of examination fallouts. In 2016, the state found itself shamefaced when a massive Bihar School Examination Board scam was exposed.

A year earlier, photos that saw relatives scaling the walls of an exam centre to give their children a ‘cheating’ edge make global headlines.