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Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Row over ‘terrorist' reference to freedom fighters in exam paper; varsity V-C issues apology for grave mistake
A CONTROVERSY erupted after a history question paper at the state-run Vidyasagar University in Paschim Medinipur referred to freedom fighters as 'terrorists,' triggering strong political reactions and prompting the institute to issue a public apology, calling it a 'printing mistake.' Following protests by students, the university's Vice-Chancellor Dilipkumar Kar issued an apology on Thursday, terming the incident a 'grave mistake'. The contentious question, printed in Bengali, read: 'Who were the three District Magistrates killed by the terrorists of Midnapore?' It appeared in a history question paper distributed to fourth-semester students on Wednesday. As the question circulated among students, dozens gathered in front of V-C Kar's office, raising slogans: 'We demand an answer — why were brave freedom fighters insulted?' and 'You must apologise!' Vice-Chancellor Kar said, 'We are deeply saddened. This is not a routine error. It is unacceptable and we seek forgiveness.' He said a probe committee was constituted within 24 hours of the incident. 'It was a printing mistake that went unnoticed during proofreading. Once the paper was circulated, there was no time to make corrections. I have asked the controller of examinations to submit a detailed report,' said Kar. The three 'slain district magistrates' referred to in the question were James Peddie, Robert Douglas and Bernard Berge, who were gunned down in a span of three years for their tyranny in Midnapore (Medinipur). Academic Pabitra Sarkar condemned the error, saying, 'It is unthinkable in Independent India to refer to youths who fought British oppression as 'terrorists '— a term used by the colonial rulers.' Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari in a post on X described the terrorist reference as 'absolutely outrageous.' 'The administrative authorities of Vidyasagar University have once again insulted our revered freedom fighters by labeling the brave revolutionaries of Medinipur as 'militants' and 'terrorists' in the 2025 History Honours sixth semester question paper,' he said. 'This is not an isolated mistake but a deliberate distortion of our history, repeating the same disgraceful error from 2023 under the watch of Dr Nirmal Kumar Mahato, Head of the History Department and a known TMC affiliate in WBCUPA (West Bengal College and University Professors Association); TMC's political organisation comprising professors,' Adhikari added. 'Shockingly, no action has been taken against Dr Mahato despite his repeated oversight failures. Worse still, his stature has risen, he was promoted to Joint Secretary of WBCUPA after the 2023 blunder. For the unversed; the tyrannical British District Magistrates; Burge (1933), Peddie (1931), and Douglas (1932) were targeted by Indian freedom fighters. Peddie was killed by Bimal Dasgupta and Jyotijiban Ghosh,' the BJP leader posted online. The BJP leader questioned whether the elevation of Mahato an endorsement of Trinamool Congress's belief that 'our freedom fighters were militants and terrorists.' 'Is this political elevation of Dr. Nirmal Kumar Mahato, an endorsement of TMC's belief that our freedom fighters were militants and terrorists? The Vice Chancellor's refusal to act only deepens the suspicion of political protectionism. This is a blow to every Indian who honours our independence struggle. I demand immediate accountability, the removal of Dr Mahato, and a thorough investigation into this institutional failure. Will TMC clarify if they stand by this shameful narrative?,' he said. Mahato could not be contacted for comment, while university sources described Adhikari's remarks as 'unfortunate.' Trinamool Congress (TMC) state general secretary Kunal Ghosh distanced the party from the controversy, saying, 'The questions were set by a few persons, not the education department. It needs to be investigated who approved the question paper.' CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also condemned the terminology, calling it 'unthinkable and unimaginable in independent India' and held the TMC government accountable for allowing such a lapse under its watch. Causing further embarrassment to the varsity, the BA Honours Political Science exam was cancelled on Friday after it was discovered that the question paper was 'out of syllabus.' University authorities said fresh tests would be conducted next week. Educationist Chinmat Guha said, 'This is not an individual error. Preparing a question paper is a collective process. This is a serious lapse at multiple levels.' In 2019, freedom fighters Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki were described as terrorists in Class 8 state textbooks, leading to public outcry. The then Education Minister Partha Chatterjee had promised in the Assembly that the error would be corrected and apologised on behalf of the department. — WITH PTI INPUTS (Anisha Ghosh is an intern at the Kolkata office of The Indian Express)
Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Row over freedom fighters called ‘terrorists' in Bengal university paper; VC blames ‘printing mistake'
A question in the history exam paper at West Bengal's Vidyasagar University termed freedom fighters as 'terrorists', sparking a huge controversy. The Vice Chancellor has now clarified that reference was a printing mistake. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is under fire due to a gaffe by Vidyasagar University.(PTI) The row erupted after the Bharatiya Janata Party's West Bengal unit shared a picture of the question paper from semester 6 of the History Honours course, alleging it termed prominent freedom fighters from the state 'terrorists'. 'Freedom Fighters are now Terrorists in West Bengal!!! In Vidyasagar University History Honours (6th semester, Paper C14 - Modern Nationalism in India) exam included a shameful question branding legendary Indian revolutionaries as 'terrorists.' The question asks: 'Name three District Magistrates of Medinipur, who terrorists killed.' And the so-called 'terrorists' listed are none other than our great freedom fighters,' the post on social media platform X said. The BJP listed the freedom fighters mentioned in the question, namely Bimal Dasgupta, Jyoti Jiban Ghosh, Pradyot Bhattacharya, and Prabanshu Pal. The opposition party in the state attacked chief minister Mamata Banerjee, saying the very idea of Indian nationalism is being vilified by her government. 'Bengal was once the cradle of intellectualism and nationalism. But today, under Mamata Banerjee's government, the very idea of Indian nationalism is being vilified, and freedom fighters are being equated with criminals. This is a deliberate rewriting of history to poison young minds,' the BJP said. Vidyasagar University clarifies Vidyasagar University vice chancellor Dipak Kumar Kar responded to the row over freedom fighters being termed as 'terrorists', calling it a 'printing mistake'. "A printing mistake occurred in the question paper of undergraduate history examination yesterday...I inquired about the matter with the Controller of Examinations and asked for a report from the Controller of the Examination as well as from the Chairperson of the Undergraduate Board of Studies of History. After getting the report, we came to know that the error occurred during moderation, which was unintentional and not detected during proofreading,' he told news agency ANI. Kar also announced action against those involved in the paper's moderation. The university replaced the concerned teacher who was involved in the moderation. The Board of Studies chairman will also be exempted from the post.
News18
11-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Bengal University Exam Paper Refers To Freedom Fighters As 'Terrorists', Sparks Outrage
Last Updated: A history exam question at West Bengal's Vidyasagar University referred to Indian freedom fighters as "terrorists," sparking widespread outrage and political backlash. Vidyasagar University in West Bengal's Midnapore stirred a controversy after a history question paper at the varsity's exam referred to Indian freedom fighters as 'terrorists". The controversial question asked students to 'name three district magistrates of Midnapore who were killed by terrorists", thus sparking outrage, especially given the historical significance of undivided Midnapore, which was a major hub of the armed revolutionary movement against British colonial rule during the pre-independence era. The British magistrates the question referred to were James Peddie, Robert Douglas, and Bernard EJ Burge, while the freedom fighters it referred to as 'terrorists" were Bimal Dasgupta, Jyoti Jiban Ghosh, Pradyot Bhattacharya, and Prabanshu Pal. As the controversy flared, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lodged a complaint with the State Education Minister Bratya Basu, demanding that the person responsible for setting the paper be identified and penalised. Teachers, students, and locals also held protest rallies, condemning the question, and demanding respect for the revolutionary martyrs. Meanwhile, the university authorities issued an apology, but stated it might be a printing error. Registrar of Vidyasagar University, JK Nandi, admitted the error and described it as a 'typing mistake". He said an emergency meeting has been called to investigate how the question made it to the final paper. 'We will ensure such mistakes are not repeated in the future," Nandi assured. The Vice Chancellor also ordered an investigation, instructing the Controller of Examinations to submit a report by next week. Jumping into the controversy, the CPI(M) alleged that both the BJP at the national level and the Trinamool Congress at the state level are responsible for the distortion of history, claiming this incident was just the latest manifestation. BENGAL's BJP UNIT ATTACKS MAMATA BANERJEE Slamming the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, the BJP called the question at the Vidyasagar University history exam 'shameful" and said the very idea of 'Indian nationalism is being vilified" in West Bengal. 'Freedom Fighters are now Terrorists in West Bengal!!!" the Bengal BJP wrote in a post on X. 'Bengal was once the cradle of intellectualism and nationalism. But today, under Mamata Banerjee's government, the very idea of Indian nationalism is being vilified, and freedom fighters are being equated with criminals," it added. 'This is a deliberate rewriting of history to poison young minds." Freedom Fighters are now Terrorists in West Bengal!!!In Vidyasagar University History Honours (6th semester, Paper C14 – Modern Nationalism in India) exam included a shameful question branding legendary Indian revolutionaries as 'terrorists." The question asks:'Name three… — BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) July 10, 2025 To the unversed, the university itself is named after Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, the iconic 19th-century educationist, social reformer, and philanthropist whose pioneering efforts led to the acceptance of widow remarriage in India. view comments First Published: July 11, 2025, 09:25 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
