Bengal varsity faces backlash over ‘terrorist’ reference to freedom fighters in exam paper
Kolkata, Jul 11 (PTI): A controversy erupted in West Bengal after a history question paper at the state-run Vidyasagar University described Indian revolutionaries as "terrorists," triggering strong political reactions and forcing the institute to issue a public apology, calling it a "printing mistake."
Reacting to it, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s grandnephew, Chandra Kumar Bose, told PTI Videos, "To call revolutionaries — who laid down their lives for the country’s freedom — as terrorists is an act of sacrilege," and demanded strict action against those responsible for preparing the question paper.
The contentious reference appeared in question 12 of the sixth semester BA Honours history exam (in Bengali), which asked students to name three district magistrates of Midnapore "killed by terrorists" during British rule. The university later acknowledged the error, attributing it to a proofreading lapse.
"It was a printing mistake that went unnoticed during proofreading," Vice Chancellor Dipak Kar said on Friday.
"Once the paper was circulated, there was no time to make corrections. I have asked the controller of examinations to submit a detailed report," he added.
The three slain magistrates referred were James Peddie, Robert Douglas and Bernard Berge, who were gunned down in a span of three years for their tyranny in then Midnapore district.
Bose said, "Distortion of history of our freedom struggle has been happening for a long time. But to call Khudiram Bose and other revolutionaries, who sacrificed their lives for the country's freedom, as terrorists cannot be accepted."
He added that stringent action must be taken against the faculty and people who were in charge of drafting the question paper.
"History must be told in the right perspective and the younger generation must be made aware about the right picture of our freedom struggle. They should know the heroic battle of INA and the leadership of Netaji," Bose commented in this context.
Academic Pabitra Sarkar condemned the error, saying, "It is unthinkable in independent India to refer to youths who fought British oppression as 'terrorists", a term used by the colonial rulers."
Leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari in a post on X described the terrorist reference as "absolutely outrageous."
"The administrative authorities of Vidyasagar University have once again insulted our revered freedom fighters by labeling the brave revolutionaries of Medinipur as 'militants' and 'terrorists' in the 2025 History Honours sixth semester question paper," he said.
"This is not an isolated mistake but a deliberate distortion of our history, repeating the same disgraceful error from 2023 under the watch of Dr. Nirmal Kumar Mahato, Head of the History Department and a known TMC affiliate in WBCUPA (West Bengal College and University Professors Association); TMC's political organisation comprising professors," Adhikari added.
"Shockingly, no action has been taken against Dr. Mahato despite his repeated oversight failures. Worse still, his stature has risen, he was promoted to Joint Secretary of WBCUPA after the 2023 blunder. For the unversed; the tyrannical British District Magistrates; Burge (1933), Peddie (1931), and Douglas (1932) were targeted by Indian freedom fighters. Peddie was killed by Bimal Dasgupta and Jyotijiban Ghosh," the BJP leader posted.
The BJP leader questioned whether the elevation of Mahato an endorsement of TMC's belief that "our freedom fighters were militants and terrorists."
"The Vice Chancellor's refusal to act only deepens the suspicion of political protectionism. This is a blow to every Indian who honours our Independence struggle. I demand immediate accountability, the removal of Dr. Mahato, and a thorough investigation into this institutional failure. Will TMC clarify if they stand by this shameful narrative?," he said.
Mahato could not be contacted for his comments, while university sources described Adhikari's remarks as "unfortunate."
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh distanced the party from the controversy, saying, "The questions were set by a few persons, not the education department. It needs to be investigated who approved the question paper."
CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty and Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also condemned the terminology, calling it "unthinkable and unimaginable in independent India" and held the TMC government accountable for allowing such a lapse under its watch.
Causing further embarrassment to the varsity, the BA Honours Political Science exam was cancelled on Friday after it was discovered that the question paper was "out of syllabus." University authorities said fresh tests would be conducted next week.
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Delhi-bound Air India flight carrying MPs diverted due to snag, Venugopal says it was 'harrowing'
New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader and Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee K C Venugopal has claimed that an Air India flight carrying him and several other MPs from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi "came frighteningly close to tragedy".
In a statement, the airline said that Air India flight AI2455, flying from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening due to a technical issue.
In a post on X on Sunday night, Venugopal said, "Air India flight AI 2455 from Trivandrum to Delhi -- carrying myself, several MPs and hundreds of passengers -- came frighteningly close to tragedy today."
"What began as a delayed departure turned into a harrowing journey. Shortly after take-off, we were hit by unprecedented turbulence. About an hour later, the Captain announced a flight signal fault and diverted to Chennai...
"For nearly two hours, we circled the airport awaiting clearance to land, until a heart-stopping moment during our first attempt -- another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. In that split second, the Captain's quick decision to pull up saved every life on board. The flight landed safely on the second attempt," he said.
"We were saved by skill and luck. Passenger safety cannot depend on luck. I urge @DGCAIndia and @MoCA_GoI to investigate this incident urgently, fix accountability, and ensure such lapses never happen again," the Congress leader wrote.
Responding to Venugopal on X, Air India said, "We would like to clarify that the diversion to Chennai was precautionary due to a suspected technical issue and poor weather conditions."
"A go-around was instructed by Chennai ATC (air traffic control) during the first attempted landing at Chennai airport, not because of the presence of another aircraft on the runway ... Our pilots are well-trained to handle such situations, and in this case, they followed standard procedures throughout the flight," Air India claimed.
"We understand that such an experience can be unsettling and regret the inconvenience the diversion may have caused to you. However, safety is always our priority," the airline added.
The flight AI2455, operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, was airborne for more than two hours, according to information available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
"The flight crew of AI2455 operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi on August 10 made a precautionary diversion to Chennai due to a suspected technical issue and given the weather conditions en route," the airline said in a statement earlier.
Air India said the flight landed safely in Chennai, where the aircraft will undergo the necessary checks.
Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destinations at the earliest, Air India said, and regretted the inconvenience caused.
Details about the number of passengers were not available.
The flight took off a little past 8 pm from Thiruvananthapuram and landed in Chennai at around 10.35 pm, according to Flightradar24.com.
In recent weeks, there have been instances of Air India's aircraft facing technical snags.
