Revolutionary freedom fighter Khudiram Bose who was executed by the British Raj when was just 18 years old, for Muzaffarpur Bomb conspiracy. (Image source:- Twitter/ @IndiaHistoryPic)Caught up in a controversy after describing a section of the freedom fighters as “extremists” in the textbooks of the state-run schools, the West Bengal government on Tuesday announced that it would form a committee to review the contents of the books, reports Indian Express.
The textbook review committee will be headed by educationist Jiban Mukhopadhyay and comprises headmasters and senior school teachers, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said in the Assembly. The panel is asked to submit its report within three months.
Addressing the state assembly during the Question Hour, CPI(M) MLA Pradip Kumar Saha said that several freedom fighters such as Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki are described extremists in a chapter in the class 8 history textbook.
Producing a copy of the textbook in the house, Saha told Speaker Biman Banerjee that the freedom fighters who had sacrificed their lives for the country were labelled as “extremists”.
In 1908, Bose and Chaki had hurled a bomb at a horse-drawn carriage, aiming at assassinating a British judge. But they ended up killing two European women, as their target was on a different carriage. Chaki committed suicide before being arrested while Bose was hanged when he was just 18 years old.
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.