No references to Pakistan, Iqbal or Manusmriti in syllabi, Delhi University's Philosophy dept told

Indian Express

15-06-2025

Faculty members of Delhi University's Department of Philosophy have been instructed to ensure that no references to Pakistan, philosopher and poet Muhammad Iqbal, or Manusmriti should be included in any undergraduate or postgraduate syllabi. The directive was issued in an email sent earlier this week, following instructions from the Dean of Academics, and the department has been asked to complete this review by June 16, it is learnt.
The email states: 'There is an official instruction from the Dean of Academics (on June 12) to check that our UG Syllabi Semester 1-8 (NEP) as well as our PG Syllabi (NEP) Semesters 1 and 2 do not have any of the following items – either in the list of readings or in any of the unit contents: any reading of Manu, any reading of Muhammad Iqbal, any mention or content related to Pakistan.'
Faculty members were asked to cross-check the content of each course and confirm by June 16 that none of the above items were included. 'To ensure full accuracy and responsibility… the course designers should be asked to ensure this with reference to each course,' the email further stated.
'The Dean of Academics has instructed us to do this within 3-4 days,' it added.
Calls and messages to Dean of Academics K Ratnabali went unanswered. The Head of Department, Philosophy, Enakshi Ray Mitra, declined to comment.
A university official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, 'This was verbally communicated many times by the Vice-Chancellor himself — that anything that divides society will not be taught at Delhi University. Two years ago, readings about poet Iqbal were removed. Despite reiterating this, several departments are still introducing these topics into their syllabus proposals.'
This is not the first time these texts and figures have come under scrutiny at the university.
In 2023, the Academic Council (AC) approved the removal of a unit on Muhammad Iqbal from the BA (Hons) Political Science course titled 'Modern Indian Political Thought'. Iqbal, who authored Saare Jahan Se Achha, was later designated as the national poet of Pakistan. That same meeting saw the introduction of a new elective on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar for students pursuing the BA Programme with Political Science as a major.
Last month, the Standing Committee on Academic Affairs recommended the removal of references to politically sensitive topics such as the Kashmir conflict and the Israel-Palestine issue from the Psychology syllabi, describing them as 'divisive' and lacking psychological relevance. The committee instead suggested greater focus on Indian thought, including the teachings of Buddha and Gandhi, as part of efforts to rebalance what it termed the 'over-representation of Western thinkers.'
On June 12, V-C Yogesh Singh reiterated that Manusmriti would not be taught 'in any form' at DU after the text appeared in the reading list of a new Sanskrit undergraduate course. 'This direction has been issued even earlier by the Vice-Chancellor's office, and departments should adhere to it,' Singh had told The Indian Express. A similar proposal to include Manusmriti in the undergraduate History (Honours) syllabus was withdrawn in 2024 following protests.
In the Philosophy department, The Indian Express has also learnt that a proposed Discipline Specific Elective course titled 'Bio Politics' has been dropped. The course had earlier been placed before the AC, with suggestions from the Standing Committee to revise its title. Eventually, the course was removed by the administration.
A faculty member from the department said, 'The reason that was communicated to us was that this was more of a Political Science subject than a Philosophy subject. We first changed the name, but were later informed by the administration that this paper has been dropped.'
'Even though many professors in our department do not believe that this is a political paper. We thought it was important to retain it in the 7th semester, but there is no time to fight for it now,' the faculty member added.
The Bio Politics course was designed to examine 'life as a site of both technological production and economic manipulation.' According to the official syllabus, it aimed to explore the relationship between life and politics through the writings of Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, Antonio Negri, and Jacques Ranciere, situating these texts within 'the ideological context of liberalism and fascism'.