After deleting para on Mughal Empire, govt website removes section on Indian culture
Culture Ministry says portal not owned or managed by it
New Delhi, Aug 24: A section on Indian culture was completely removed from a government website on Tuesday, a day after a paragraph describing the Mughal Empire as one of the greatest ever was deleted when complaints tagging the union culture ministry were raised on social media.
The culture ministry, which on Monday had said that it was working with the agencies to "accurately portray the events", distanced itself from the issue, maintaining that neither was the content generated by any department of it nor had it made any recommendations to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which according to sources, runs the site KnowIndia.gov.in.
"We reacted because we were tagged to the complaints. We do not own or manage the website. The content too is not generated by us," an official said.
Sources indicated that the content was from an NCERT book.
A day after MeitY removed the paragraph, the website no longer had the "culture and heritage" section which showcased India's history, tradition, monuments, arts and other activities.
The paragraph on the Mughals on the site was on the Medieval India page.
The paragraph deleted on Monday said: "In India, the Mughal Empire was one of the greatest empires ever. The Mughal Empire ruled hundreds of millions of people. India became united under one rule, and had very prosperous cultural and political years during the Mughal rule. There were many Muslim and Hindu kingdoms split all throughout India until the founders of the Mughal Empire came..."
Ratan Sharda, author of "Secrets of RSS", "The Sangh and Swaraj" and "RSS 360", on Monday had tweeted that the portal was "singing the praises of 'great' Mughal empire" and tagged the culture ministry.
It has been brought to the Ministry's notice about content in Know India website (https://t.co/sbX72H5yHJ) that misrepresents India's history. The Ministry of Culture does not run this website and is working with the concerned entities to accurately portray the events.
— Ministry of Culture (@MinOfCultureGoI) August 23, 2021
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Karnataka: GBA city corporation polls likely between June 14 and 24
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka State Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi on Friday said elections to the five city corporations under the GBA will be held anytime between June 14 and June 24.
He said the exact date for the polls will be announced after a week, asserting that the power to postpone the elections, as requested by GBA authorities, lies with the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had directed the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission to conduct Bengaluru local body elections by June 30.
On Friday, the SEC held a consultation meeting with the GBA Chief Commissioner and commissioners of the five city corporations regarding the election schedule, as per the provisions of the GBA Act.
“During the meeting, I informed GBA officials that only the election date has to be fixed, as all other measures and formalities for conducting the polls have already been completed,” Sangreshi said.
“They requested the Commission to consider factors such as rains, exams, census work, SIR, and manpower shortages while fixing the date and sought additional time,” he added.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, “I told them this meeting was not for seeking time. Elections to the five corporations under the GBA must be held before June 30, as directed by the Supreme Court, and a compliance report must be submitted to the court. I do not have the power to postpone the elections as requested.”
The Supreme Court has already given a “final opportunity,” and both the SEC and the government must comply with its directions, the State Election Commissioner said.
He asked GBA officials to suggest suitable dates between June 14 and June 24.
“While stating that they are ready for elections, the officials highlighted operational challenges, including manpower shortages. However, I have informed them that the elections will have to be held between June 14 and June 24. After a week, I will announce the final date,” he said.
Reiterating that he does not have the power to postpone the elections, Sangreshi said the authority rests with the Supreme Court, and elections must be conducted as scheduled.
“We have consulted the GBA as per the rules. It is up to them to suggest a date within the given window. If they need more time, they must approach the court. Our responsibility is to fix the date and complete the polls before June 30,” he said.
The matter regarding manpower and other concerns raised by GBA officials is already before the Supreme Court, and the State Election Commission has also filed a petition in this regard. The case is yet to be heard.
“Since the matter has not come up for hearing, the earlier order remains binding. Therefore, preparations are underway,” he added.
The tenure of the previous elected body under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ended on September 10, 2020, and since then, a government-appointed administrator has been managing its day-to-day affairs.
Bengaluru was divided into five municipal corporations—Central, East, West, North, and South—under the Greater Bengaluru Authority in September 2025, replacing the BBMP.
Sangreshi had earlier said that elections to the five corporations would be conducted using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines.
This follows the Congress government’s decision last September to recommend the use of ballot papers in all future panchayat and urban local body elections, citing concerns over declining public confidence in EVMs.
The state government subsequently enacted the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2026, paving the way for the use of ballot papers in local body elections.
