By TCN Staff Reporter,
[Thenjipalam] Malappuram: The investigative commission appointed by the Calicut University Vice Chancellor have suggested withdrawing the text book named ‘Kerala Samskaaram’ – a compulsory reference for the distant education – complimentary course of BA Malayalam, third semester students.
It is hoped that investigation committee report terming the book as inflammatory and having contents promoting communal hate will make the University break its long deep silence and take stringent actions against the Malayalam department lecturer who has made intentional attempt to inject hate in to the minds of students.
Campus Front protest march demanding the withdrawal of the book and actions against the teacher
The book authored by a lecturer teaching in the same University named Dr Priyadarshan Lal was found to be an obvious attempt to disrupt communal harmony. The lecturer who retired from the Kozhikode Meenchanda Arts College, Malayalam Department is a supporter of Sanghparivar and parts of his book dealing with ‘Adhinivesham Adhunika Keralam’ [colonization and modern Kerala].
Particularly towards its 31st page and at many other instances makes baseless allegations against the Mappilas [Malabar Muslims] who bravely fought the British in 1921. His book without any historical basis has alleged that around 500-600 Hindus were killed by the Mappilas during the 1921 Mappila riot and that around 100 temples were destructed.
The commission appointed by the VC, in its investigation, noted that the book is an obvious attempt to create communal tensions. The book says that around 2000 Hindus were forcefully converted to Islam and that on October 31, 1883 an insane Muslim with knives and a religious book in hands stabbed a Hindu who was brushing his teeth near a stream. The book says the Muslim was let free, citing that he was mentally unstable.
The other allegation in the book was that on June 18, 1884, a toddy–tapper who reconverted to Hinduism from Islam was stabbed by Muslims and after this Mappila’s marched to the Malappuram town raising Jihadi slogans and on the way they slashed with knives another Brahmin and reached Thrikkalayur temple through the forest ways.
Despite all these baseless inflammatory remarks, it is quite surprising that the book traced its way to the Calicut University Press and got distributed to the students as a course material.
The book besides bringing in the great freedom struggle undertaken by the Mappila’s of Malabar against the British regime under a bad light also makes intentional attempts to distort the history of two Muslim rulers of Mysore – Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan as well.
The book without any historical basis alleges that both these Mysore rulers destructed Hindu temples and massacred Hindu women and children. The Sanghparivar teacher went on to the extreme of alleging that the Mysore rulers hanged those captivated Nair Hindus in tree branches and that they were then beheaded.
The whole lot of accusations having no historical basis, all the way resembled contents of Hindutva websites specialised in writing such malicious contents regarding Mappila Muslims and Muslim rulers.
Campus Front workers burning the pages of the controversial book
Though Calicut University has a Teachers Committee to examine books prior to those being suggested as study materials for students, it is believed that nothing as such happened with regard to this book as the author himself holds the Co-ordinator post of the University Malayalam department. There were already complaints like the University despite collecting 1400 Rupees from each student enrolled in to this course, has never cared to ensure the quality of the content, despite having a monitoring committee including Teachers to examine it.
The students’ wing like Campus Front had came up in protest against the book and they have burnt the pages of the book in front of the University gate. The University had adopted a deep silence over the issue until the protests got strong and there were even moves like only those controversial parts will be withdrawn from the book and the book should continue as a course material.
The VC is yet to return from Delhi and as soon as he reaches, it is believed that he will ban the book considering the investigation committee report, which suggested a withdrawal of the communal hate spreading, inflammatory work. Though the book is now about to be withdrawn, the University seems in no mood to take actions against the lecturer, who has intentionally violated the University codes of law and even trying to inject communal hate into the minds of students enrolled in to distant BA Malayalam programmes.
The book besides being made a study material in the University was widely distributed in the southern districts of Kerala, and the State Home department is yet to take a serious note of it.