2002 Gujarat riots won’t be described as ‘anti-Muslim’ in NCERT Class 12 textbooks, says report

The National Council of Educational Research And Training​ (NCERT) textbooks will now describe the 2002 Gujarat carnage as ‘Gujarat riots’ and not ‘anti-Muslim riots,’ according to a Hindustan Times report.

The decision to make the changes in a Class 12 textbook, published in 2007 during the Congress-led UPA government’s tenure, was reportedly taken during a meeting of the course review committee with representatives from NCERT and CBSE .

Around 58 persons lost their lives when the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express was torched at Godhra Railway Station on February 27, 2002. The incident had triggered large scale riots in Gujarat in which around 1,000 people, mostly of the minority community, were killed.

A chapter titled “Politics in India since Independence” (page 187) in the Class XII political science textbook has a passage under the heading “Anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat.” said the report.

The move has been termed as a routine to keep textbooks updated.

Stating that NCERT is carrying out a review of all textbooks, an official told the daily that the changes will be made and it will be reflected once the book is reprinted by the end of the year.