NCERT's Political Science Textbook For Class 12 Altered: Sensitive Topics Edited Out

The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has made changes to its political science textbook for Class 12, effective from the current academic session. These changes include the removal of references to sensitive topics such as the Babri Masjid, the politics of Hindutva, the 2002 Gujarat riots, and minorities.

The updated content, as posted on the NCERT website, reflects alterations to several chapters. For instance, in Chapter 8, Recent Developments in Indian Politics, references to the "Ayodhya demolition" were removed, and the discussion was refocused on the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

Similarly, references to the Babri Masjid and the politics of Hindutva were omitted. The text now highlights the legal and political dispute over the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, which influenced Indian politics and led to the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya following a Supreme Court decision in 2019.

In Chapter 5, Democratic Rights, a reference to the Gujarat riots was removed, with the rationale that the incident is resolved through the judicial process and is no longer relevant.

The revised textbook also made alterations to the portrayal of Muslims as a marginalized community. References to Muslims being "deprived" of development benefits were changed to reflect their lower status in socio-economic development without specifying deprivation.

In Chapter 5, Understanding Marginalisation, the text was modified to remove the implication of unfair treatment and discrimination against Muslims, instead focusing on their social marginalization leading to prejudice, hatred, and violence.

In a chapter on Gender, Religion, and Caste, a line highlighting religious minorities as victims of communal riots was changed to a more general demand for the government to prevent communal riots and protect religious minorities.

Additionally, the updated textbooks made more explicit references to China, particularly regarding military conflict over border disputes.

The revisions extend to history and sociology textbooks as well, with changes to the portrayal of the Harappan civilization, tribals, and people's movements. Some images of communal riots were removed from the sociology textbook, deemed irrelevant in the present context.

Overall, these changes reflect an ongoing effort to update educational materials to reflect current perspectives and sensitivities.