A nationwide "cow science" exam proposed in India has caused controversy, with some saying the animal is being politicised by the country's Hindu-nationalist government.
The optional exam was set to be taken last week by school and university students in a bid to "infuse curiosity" about the bovine.
However, after being slammed for propagating unscientific claims about the animal, which is considered sacred in the Hindu religion, the exam has now been postponed indefinitely.
The exam, which was supposed to be an annual affair, was established by the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) - or National Cow Commission - but contained unscientific claims such as inside the hump of Indian cows "there is a solar pulse which is known to absorb vitamin D from the sun's rays and release it in its milk", and that local cows were "emotional towards humans and other living beings" but foreign cows were not, according to The New York Times.
It also reportedly claimed cow milk has traces of gold in it and earthquakes occur due to cow slaughter.
The exam was widely criticised and ridiculed online and in academic circles before the Government announced it would be postponed.
"These jokers want to explore 'Cow Science' during pandemic & don't give a damn about scientific protocols to be followed by companies while vaccinating the entire population," one opposition politician wrote on Twitter.
Many critics of the government say the exam was a further step by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is strongly aligned with conservative Hindu nationalists, to make India more of a Hindu state.
Since Modi came to power in 2014, Hindu nationalist lynch mobs have killed dozens of people in the name of protecting cows, The New York Times reports.
