Mujib downsized, India’s function in liberation battle reduce: Dhaka rewrites textbooks | India Information

* India’s function within the freedom motion retained, however images of Indira Gandhi with Mujibur Rahman dropped.

* Hasina’s message for college kids on the again cowl of textbooks changed with images of graffiti from the 2024 July rebellion towards her regime.

THESE ARE among the many most drastic modifications made to highschool textbooks in Bangladesh this yr by its Nationwide Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) — alterations that just about obliterate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and curtails her father Mujib’s function within the freedom battle.

In these modifications lie an underlying theme — of taking part in down the Indian management’s contribution to the Bangladesh Liberation Struggle during which the mixed forces of Indian Military and the Bangladesh freedom fighters had defeated Pakistan’s armed forces in December 1971, resulting in the creation of the nation.

A crew of over 57 consultants arrange by the Bangladesh Schooling Ministry has carried out alterations to 441 college books utilized by major, secondary and better secondary college students, sources stated, including that over 40 crore new books have been printed for the present tutorial session. The Indian Categorical analysed a number of of those books — throughout lessons and topics.

These modifications are among the many “reforms” within the schooling sector that the interim authorities introduced following the toppling of the 16-year regime of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, and has been residing in India ever since.

Chatting with The Indian Categorical on telephone from Dhaka, A Okay M Reazul Hassan, chairperson, NCTB, stated, “The textbooks have been revised on the idea of the 2012 curriculum. The 2022-2023 textbooks have been nullified.”

India’s function shrunk

The Indian Categorical discovered that two images of Mujib with then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had been dropped from the within cowl of the Class 6 English ebook — of Mujib making a speech and Gandhi sharing the dais at a rally in Kolkata on February 6, 1972, and the opposite of March 17, 1972, when the Bangladesh President acquired the Indian PM on the Dhaka airport. Images of Mujib with world leaders have been deleted from different textbooks too.

When requested in regards to the change in content material on India’s function, Hassan stated, “So far as I can bear in mind, in one of many again covers of a ebook, there was an image of Mujibur Rehman with Indira Gandhi. Since all outdated books (from 2023-24) have been nullified, it’s not there. Nevertheless, the function of India through the Liberation Struggle and that of the Mitro Bahini (an alliance of the Indian Military and the Mukti Bahini) have been saved intact.”

Certainly, the 1971 give up has been retained within the Class 5 textbook in a chapter titled ‘Pakistani Bahinir Antmosamarpan O Amader Bijoy (Pakistani Forces Give up and Our Victory)’. The textual content mentions how Indian forces and Muktijoddhas (Bangladeshi freedom fighters) joined arms to defeat Pakistani forces. It’s accompanied by a historic image — of the Indian Military’s Lieutenant-Common Jagjit Singh Aurora accepting the Instrument of Give up from Pakistan Lieutenant-Common Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi.

“The historic give up… has been saved within the textbooks because it was earlier. Solely political content material on the again covers of books has been eliminated. Our purpose is to point out the true image and take away all political messages,” stated Hassan.

Amongst different modifications, the nationwide flag and the nationwide tune — seen by critics of the Awami League as legacies of Mujib and an imposition by India — have been moved from the entrance pages of the textbooks to the again. Hassan stated, “Those that revised the books felt that the nationwide flag and tune weren’t wanted in textbooks. They thought that the entrance covers ought to have photos that might draw the eye of youngsters, which is why each (the flag and tune) have been moved to the again. We’ll determine later if they need to be eliminated totally.”

Referring to a different impending India-related change, Hassan stated, “The outdated books state that India was the primary to recognise Bangladesh (as an impartial nation) on December 6, 1971. Nevertheless, we had been informed that Bhutan was the primary to recognise Bangladesh on December 3, 1971. Since we had been quick on time, we couldn’t rectify this. We’ll repair this subsequent yr.”

Mujib scaled down

Among the many greatest modifications within the books is the transfer to herald different leaders of the Muktijuddho (Bangladesh’s freedom battle), who, critics of the Awami League say, had been overshadowed by Mujib and his daughter Hasina.

The revised curriculum consists of biographies and pictures of different “political stalwarts” equivalent to Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, former Muslim League chief, first president of the Awami League and a outstanding determine through the 1971 Muktijuddho; Huseyn Suhrawardy, the previous Chief Minister of undivided Bengal and the previous Prime Minister of Pakistan; Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq, a former Muslim League chief and Prime Minister of East Pakistan; Tajuddin Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and a Muktijuddho chief; and Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s rival, two-time Prime Minister of Bangladesh and spouse of former President Ziaur Rahman.

In a Class 2 Bengali ebook, a prose on Mujib, titled ‘Sonar Chele (Golden Boy)’, has been dropped, whereas his biography in a Class 3 ebook has been changed with ‘Amader Char Neta (Our 4 Leaders)’. The chapter has quick biographies and pictures of Maulana Bashani, Fazlul Haq and Suhrawardy, with Mujib coming in final.

Stating that every one cases of “deification of personalities” have been dropped from the revised textbooks, NCTB’s Hassan stated, “Earlier, the curriculum was politicised to create a cult of 1 or two personalities. I don’t suppose textbooks anyplace else on the planet had political messages from political personalities. Political messages by the chief of the previous fascist regime (referring to Hasina’s regime) have been eliminated within the revised editions. College students, guardians and academics had protested towards their inclusion.”

“Maulana Bhashani, Suhrawardy, ‘Sher-e-Bangla’ Fazlul Haq had been senior to Sheikh Mujib. Their function and biographies have been aptly represented within the 2025 textbooks alongside that of Mujib. We’ve not totally eliminated (textual content on) Mujib,” he added.

Two poems on Mujib, ‘Banglar Khoka (Bengal’s Son)’ and ‘Mujib Mane Mukti (Mujib Means Freedom)’ have been faraway from Class 4 Bengali books. In a Class 4 historical past ebook, in a prose titled ‘1971 Muktijuddho (1971 Freedom Motion)’, {a photograph} of Zia has a caption stating that the then Military chief made the primary declaration of independence from Chattogram (now Chittagong) on March 26, 1971, adopted by one other one a day later, on March 27, 1971, on behalf of Mujib. Earlier books had credited Mujib with making the primary declaration of independence on March 26, 1971.

To a query on this, Hassan stated, “It’s traditionally documented that Zia made the primary declaration of independence on March 26, 1971, in his private capability. The declaration on March 27, 1971, was made — in Zia’s phrases — ‘on behalf of our nice chief Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’. We’ve acknowledged that within the new textbooks.”

References to Mujib have additionally been dropped from textbooks utilized in secondary and better secondary lessons — a poem titled ‘Mujib’ has been dropped from Charu Path, a Class 6 ebook.

In a Bengali grammar ebook for Class 6, an essay titled ‘Jatir Pita Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman (Father of the Nation Mujib)’ has been eliminated. Different elements dropped from a Class 6 English ebook embody chapters named ‘Son of the Soil’ and ‘Mujib in Faculty Days’. Texts together with ‘Bangamata: Our Supply of Inspiration’ on Hasina, and ‘Bangabandhu’s Love for Sports activities’ and ‘Bangabandhu’s Response to Pure Calamities’ on Mujib have additionally been dropped.

What’s in: Anti-Hasina protests

Whereas images and prose on Hasina — which had been earlier on the flaps of the textbooks — have been totally dropped, what’s notable are the additions on the July 2024 rebellion that led to the autumn of her Awami League authorities.

A Class 5 textbook named ‘Amar Bangla (My Bengali)’ now has an essay on the “martyrs” of final yr’s rebellion. In addition to biographies, the essay, titled ‘Amra Tomader Bhulbo Na (We Received’t Neglect You)’, has images of student-activists Abu Sayed and Mir Mahfujur Rehman Mugdho, who had been gunned down by the police through the protests.

The Class 8 literature ebook too has an essay on the anti-Hasina protests, titled ‘Gana Abhyuthaner Katha (Story of Mass Rebellion)’. Within the Class 8 English ebook, a chapter titled ‘Bangabandhu for Bangladesh’ has been changed by one on the function of ladies within the 2024 protests, titled ‘Girls’s Function in Rebellion’.

The textbooks even have images of graffiti from the July 2024 rebellion.

The NCTB chairperson stated “extra modifications” are to observe. “As a result of lack of time, we had been in a position to revise solely a small a part of the historical past books. We’ve revised the textual content until 1971. Subsequent yr, we’ll revise it additional.”