New NCERT social science chapter on colonial rule skips Tipu Sultan, Anglo-Mysore wars
New Delhi: The recently released NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook has stirred controversy for reportedly omitting events from India’s colonial period and key historical figures, including Tipu Sultan, Haidar Ali, and the four Anglo-Mysore Wars of 1700s, which once featured prominently in earlier editions.
The updated textbook, titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1)’, focuses on the narrative of colonialism from the late 1400s, beginning with Vasco da Gama, to the late 1800s. It highlights how British colonialism drained India’s wealth, disrupted traditional life, and mentions events such as the Battle of Plassey (1757) and the 1857 rebellion.
While uprisings such as the Sannyasi-Fakir rebellion, the Kol uprising, and the Santhal rebellion are included, the new edition omits Tipu Sultan, Haidar Ali, and the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. These figures, once highlighted as major opponents of British expansion, are reportedly no longer part of the revised colonial narrative.
Michel Danino, chair of the NCERT textbook development group, asserted that the current Class 8 textbook aims to give an overview rather than exhaustive detail. When asked whether Tipu Sultan or the Anglo-Mysore Wars might appear in Part 2 of the textbook, Danino responded, “Probably not,” adding that those chapters are still in development.
The textbook further introduces a section on the plunder of India’s cultural wealth, including statues, manuscripts, jewels, and artefacts, much of which ended up in European museums and private collections. This appropriation is referred to as “massive theft” carried out across colonised nations.
It also challenges the narrative that British infrastructure such as railways and telegraphs were gifts to India, stating these projects were mostly funded by Indian taxpayers and primarily served British strategic and commercial interests.
Part 1 of the new textbook has been released for the current academic session, with Part 2 expected later this year.
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Meghalaya: Interstate ATM theft racket busted, 6 arrested
Shillong (PTI): An interstate racket involved in ATM thefts across several states has been busted, with the arrest of six persons in connection with a break-in at an electronic banking outlet in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused were allegedly involved in breaking into an ATM of the Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank on April 5, 2024, they said.
Three of the accused were arrested from Barpeta in Assam, while the remaining were apprehended from Haryana, police said.
Ri-Bhoi SP Giri Prasad M said a special police team was constituted to investigate the case.
"With coordinated efforts and assistance from Assam and Haryana Police, we were able to apprehend the accused involved in the ATM break-in," he told PTI.
The case was registered at Umiam police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to police, the gang used gas cutters to break open the ATM safe and fled with the cash within minutes.
"The group is part of a larger network involved in similar ATM thefts across different states. Further investigation is underway to dismantle the entire network," the SP added.
