Slugfest erupts over Bengal university exam paper referring to freedom fighters as ‘terrorists’

Kolkata: A political and social uproar has erupted in West Bengal after a history question paper from a reputed state university indirectly referred to Indian freedom fighters as “terrorists.”

The controversial question appeared in an examination paper of Midnapore-based Vidyasagar University. The question read — “Name three district magistrates of Midnapore who were killed by terrorists.”

The reference has sparked 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.

Adding to the controversy, 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.

Members of civil society have questioned the competence and ideological inclination of the academic who framed the question. Many see it as a glaring example of the deteriorating state of the education system in West Bengal.

Local BJP leaders have written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Education Minister Bratya Basu, demanding that the person responsible for setting the paper be identified and penalized.

Though both the CM and Education Minister have yet to comment publicly, Registrar of Vidyasagar University, J.K. 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 CPI(M) has 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.

Interestingly, even the district unit of the Trinamool Congress acknowledged the seriousness of the matter, stating that equating freedom fighters with terrorists was an “unpardonable mistake.”

IANS