NCERT Book: Word ‘Anti-Muslim’ Removed From A Passage On Gujarat Riots, Text Critical Of The Then BJP Government Retained

The political science text book for Class XII, published by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), has drooped ‘anti-Muslim’ from a passage on 2002 Gujarat riots, Hindustan Times has reported.

According to the report, the passage in the chapter titled “Politics in India since Independence” has retained the text with a minor change. The word ‘Muslim’ has been removed from the first line of the sentence.

However, the text “continues to highlight critical observations about the role of the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government”, the daily’s report reads.

The passage earlier read: “In February-March 2002, large-scale violence against Muslims took place in Gujarat”. In the updated books, it now reads: “In February-March 2002, large-scale violence took place in Gujarat”.

The passage critical of the then BJP government, which the Hindustan Times says has not been changed, reads: “The National Human Rights Commission criticised the Gujarat government’s role in failing to control violence, provide relief to the victims and prosecute the perpetrators of this violence. The EC ordered the assembly elections to be postponed.”

The book was reportedly published in 2007. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power at the Centre in 2007.

A senior NCERT official pointed out that the syllabus, which is used to prepare text for books, does not have the word ‘anti-Muslim’.

“The syllabus clearly uses the word Gujarat riots. However, the textbook had included the word ‘Anti-Muslim’. When we started the work on updating the books we were informed about it and we have reverted to 'Gujarat riots’,” he said.

The riots were sparked by the killing of 57 Hindu pilgrims, who were burnt alive in a train compartment, at a railway station in Godhra.