DU panel calls for removal of sexuality, caste, religion topics from psychology syllabus: Report
New Delhi: Delhi University’s Standing Committee on Academic Affairs has sparked controversy by sending the psychology department’s syllabus back for revisions, recommending the removal of topics such as sexual orientation, caste, religious identity, and the elective paper “Psychology of Sexuality.”
The move is part of DU’s broader curriculum overhaul in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) framework, as reported by Hindustan Times on Tuesday. The psychology department has been asked to reconsider its syllabus and submit a revised version following deliberations on the committee’s recommendations.
One of the committee's primary suggestions is to completely rewrite the elective paper titled “Psychology of Peace” to incorporate examples from Indian epics such as the Mahabharata.
The standing committee has also expressed objections to the inclusion of discussions on contemporary conflict zones like the Israel-Palestine issue, Kashmir, and India’s North-East. Instead, it suggested that students focus on teachings from the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita to understand concepts of peace and conflict resolution.
A person familiar with the standing committee’s recommendations said another paper, “Relationship Science,” has also been flagged for revision. “We’ve been asked to replace content on nuclear and alternative families with discussions of joint families, and to include more Indian family system literature. The section on dating apps and modern love must be re-examined,” HT quoted the person as saying.
A faculty member from the psychology department, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed concerns about the proposed changes, particularly the removal of topics related to discrimination and minority issues, noting, “We are being asked to eliminate topics on discrimination and minorities, even though these are pressing realities for many students and communities. How can psychology ignore negative experiences when it is fundamentally the study of human behaviour?”
Several faculty members have raised questions regarding the rationale behind the recommendations, and discussions are expected to continue in the upcoming academic council meeting scheduled for May 10.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
