New Delhi: A question on 'bad omens' asked by the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) in the Junior Engineer (JE) recruitment exam has angered the Brahmin community.

The question paper given to applicants for recruitment on April 10 had a question on selecting which was not a 'bad omen prevalent in Haryana'. The options included: an empty pitcher, a casket full of fuel, meeting a black Brahmin or sight of a Brahmin girl.

The Haryana Brahmin Sabha has lodged strong protests against the humiliating question and a state minister has promised a probe into the matter.

"It's shocking. A candidate should be judged on the basis of his mental ability and professional competence rather than superstition and communalism. We will look into the matter and whoever is found guilty will be punished," said state PWD Minister Rao Narbeer.

A local representative of the Sabha has sought an apology from the government. "It is shocking that engineers are chosen on the basis of their level of superstition rather than skill. This is an insult to the Brahmin community. We want strict action against the culprit and also an apology from the government," he said.

This fresh controversy comes a day after Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that there has been an increase in the number of people offering namaz in open spaces and that prayers should be restricted to mosques and idgahs.

People offering namaz were getting up midway and running away in the face of slogan-shouting on Friday in busy areas of Haryana like Iffco Chowk, Udyog Vihar, Leisure Valley Park and Mall Mile on MG Road. At a park opposite Candor Techspace, a group of corporate executives prayed amid heavy security cover.

The report said that Hindutva outfits went around the city shouting slogans like 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Bangladeshi wapas jao, and disrupted congregations.