Education council withdraws chapter after protests

Guwahati, Aug 26 (UNI) The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) today withdrew a controversial chapter on Ahom history from its second year syllabus after a students' body alleged it had derogatory remarks regarding the community.

The All Assam Tai-Ahom Students' Union (AATASU) had burnt copies of the textbook 'Sahitya Saurabh', alleging that a chapter of the book contained derogatory remarks about the Ahom community.

It alleged that the chapter by Dr Satyendra Nath Sharma portrayed Ahom history in poor light and warned of mass agitations if the chapter was not withdrawn.

The controversial chapter had been included in the second year course of the AHSEC in the new syllabus introduced last year. This year's students were the first batch to study the chapter in their MIL textbooks.

AHSEC secretary D R Boro said the chapter had been withdrawn after the Council saw reports against it appearing in the local media.

''We have not received any formal complaint or letter from the AATASU in this regard,'' he added.

The chapter had first appeared in 1972 in 'Prabandhor Sayanika' and had not caused any uproar at that time.

Dr Sharma had mentioned in the chapter that he had sought the help of other history books extensively in writing it. He had also added that certain parts, which he had specified, were based on myths and had no factual base.

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