PSEB history book row: Panel head defends content

Says content derived from contemporary sources, Akalis politicising matter, dragging academics into politics

CHANDIGARH: Sikh historian Prof Kirpal Singh, who headed the group of experts that wrote history textbooks of senior secondary classes of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), on Wednesday asserted that there were no discrepancies in the Class-12 history book and the content was derived from contemporary sources.

Their (Akalis’) claim that the content shows that the fifth Guru was not martyred is baseless since the very heading of the chapter is ‘Martyrdom of Guru Arjan’. PROF KIRPAL SINGH, head, group of experts on history textbooks

:Sikh historian Prof Kirpal Singh, who headed the group of experts that wrote history textbooks of senior secondary classes of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), on Wednesday asserted that there were no discrepancies in the Class-12 history book and the content was derived from contemporary sources.

The reaction came two days after the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) alleged “distortion” of Sikh history and pointed out glaring discrepancies in the book, claiming that Sikh Gurus had been shown in a bad light.

The party’s core committee, which met on Monday, announced to launch a protest on the issue, stating that the “rectified” content of the book has inappropriate remarks about Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Hargobind, Guru Tegh Bahadur and the 10th master Guru Gobind Singh.

Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government ordered withdrawal of the content within hours, asking PSEB to use history textbooks of the last academic session for now.

Prof Kirpal told HT that the issue was being “unnecessarily politicised” and experts like him should not be dragged in politics. “They should let us focus on academics,” he said, refusing to go into details.

Prof Kirpal and other committee members will hold a press conference to make a detailed point-by-point statement on the matter. “We are ready to defend ourselves,” said a panel member.

The Congress government had constituted the six-member panel in May this year after SAD first raised the issue of deletion of some chapters on Sikh history from the new Class-12 history book and also pointed out errors. The committee comprising Kirpal Singh, historian JS Grewal, Indu Banga, Prithipal Singh Kapur and two Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) representatives — Balwant Singh Dhillon and Inderjeet Singh Gogoani — was asked to review the textbook.

Prof Kirpal said the state government had initially asked them to finalise the syllabus, but later also told them to provide content for the book. “We need time to write books all over again, but they (school education department) were in a hurry,” he said, expressing disagreement with the manner in which the department asked them in August to submit the content as well.

On Akalis’ objections, he said: “Their claim is that the content (of Class 12 book) shows that fifth Guru Arjan Dev was not martyred. It is baseless because the very heading of the chapter is ‘Martyrdom of Guru Arjan’,” he said.

The historian, who was given ‘Professor of Sikhism’ award by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, is currently working on Shri Gurpartap Suraj Parkash Granth, a project of SGPC.

“I have a lifelong association with SGPC and other Sikh religious bodies. There has never been any controversy in the past,” he said.