Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — If one has to believe the Rajasthan government, the perpetrators of the infamous 2002 Godhra train burning incident are being glorified as Hindus and they are being referred to as criminals. Recalling certain textbooks featuring chapters on the 2002 Godhra incident, the state’s Education Minister Madan Dilawar announced on Friday that this topic will no longer be part of the curriculum in state-run schools.
Dilawar also said wrong things have been mentioned about the then Gujarat government.
The textbooks were previously withdrawn due to “technical deficiencies,” with a “check” now ordered to evaluate the quality of paper and printing, reported India Today.
Dilawar claimed the incident’s perpetrators were glorified in the chapter on Godhra, accusing the previous Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot of misleading students with incorrect information.
“Lies are being spread about the Godhra incident and society is being divided. Those who burnt the train in Godhra are being glorified as Hindus and they are being referred to as criminals. Wrong things have been mentioned about the then Gujarat government,” Dilawar stated.
Dilawar also accused former education minister Govind Singh Dotasra of deliberately misleading students through these textbooks. In response, Dotasra denied approving the books during his tenure, accusing Dilawar of spreading falsehoods.
Among the recalled books are ‘Jeevan Ki Bahar,’ ‘Chitti Ek Kutta Aur Uska Jungle Farm,’ and ‘Adrishya Log – Story of Hope and Courage,’ which were being used for Classes 9 to 12. The government has instructed District Education Officers to withdraw all copies from state schools.
One of these books, ‘Adrishya Log – Story of Hope and Courage,’ authored by social worker and former IAS officer Harsh Mander, details his experiences of the Godhra incident, describing it as a “terrorist conspiracy” and highlighting the targeting and persecution of Muslims that followed.
Mander, now working with an NGO, also discusses children still missing and individuals hiding their identities to avoid persecution.
Recently, a CBI inquiry was ordered against Mander on allegations related to foreign donations law violations.
On 27 February 2002, the S6 coach of the Sabarmati Express, carrying pilgrims returning from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, was set on fire at Gujarat’s Godhra station, resulting in 59 deaths. This event triggered widespread communal violence across the state, leading to the loss of 1,044 lives, mostly Muslims.