Vyapam ad creates controversy; refers to Sikkim as an independent state

An advertisement by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board for recruitment in the jail department created a controversy on Wednesday when it indirectly referred to Sikkim as an independent state and not a part of India.

In the eligibility criteria for the position of guard in the jail department in Madhya Pradesh, Vyapam's advertisement said that the candidate should either be a citizen of India or "People of Sikkim (Sikkim ki praja)."

The others eligible included people of Indian origin who have permanently migrated from Pakistan to India, people of Nepal, or people of French and Portuguese colonies situated in India.

Earlier, the Delhi government committed a similar blunder in March this year when in an advertisement for a volunteer position in Civil Defence Corporation, they referred to people from Sikkim as "subject" of the state alongside Nepal and Bhutan.