Reshma Ravishanker

Social media users have come down heavily on online learning platform Unacademy prompting them to apologise over a communal question asked on their platform to users.

To elaborate, Unacademy’s question paper for its users taking exams on the Indian Penal Code was leaked on Twitter, shared several times and criticised heavily for having a communal angle.

The question pertains a religious rally taken out by a certain community of people. In response to this rally and slogan-shouting on a festive occasion, another community of people pelted stones on them.

Along with the question, respondents were given three options to choose from about whether the community pelting stones were right in taking offense against those carrying out a rally.

While some users on social media platforms found the question and its responses to be bizarre, the others expressed that this would invoke unwarranted responses from both communities of people.

“What sort of question is this? These responses do not even make sense either. What are you trying to communicate?” one of the users sought to know.

Neha, another user on Twitter questioned, “How can this education platform be so irresponsible that they don’t even scrutinize the question paper provided by a 3^rd part beforehand. Who are these third party appointed by your platform feeding selective hatred for Hindu community into the minds of students?”

While Unacademy uploaded a response on social media platforms later, users said that this would not suffice for the damage that has been done. They sought that legal action be taken against those who drafted the question.

The platform which has over 2,200 educators across India said in a statement “A question posed in a mock IPC exam paper that contained religious references has been brought to our notice. The test paper has been taken down from the platform with immediate effect. Further, future test papers will be scrutinized and modified in accordance with our policies to ensure that it is religion, community, and race agnostic.

“Unacademy unconditionally regrets the references to religious matters in a mock exam. The question papers were prepared by a third party and we have initiated action to tighten our internal review and quality process and ensure no misrepresentations on matters of religion creeps into our content. Any hurt or offense caused is deeply regretted.”