A massive controversy erupted in West Bengal’s Vidyasagar University after a History Honours semester exam paper referred to prominent freedom fighters as “terrorists”, drawing sharp criticism from political parties and students alike. The row has now triggered both a political war of words and internal disciplinary action within the university.
Controversial Question Sparks Outrage
The exam paper for Semester 6, Paper C14 – Modern Nationalism in India included a question asking:
“Name three District Magistrates of Medinipur, who terrorists killed.”
The “terrorists” in question were noted Indian revolutionaries such as Bimal Dasgupta, Jyoti Jiban Ghosh, Pradyot Bhattacharya, and Prabanshu Pal, revered for their roles in India’s struggle against British colonial rule.
The BJP’s West Bengal unit shared an image of the paper on X (formerly Twitter), blasting the ruling TMC government:
“Freedom Fighters are now Terrorists in West Bengal!!! This shameful distortion of history under Mamata Banerjee’s watch is unacceptable.”
Political Backlash
The opposition BJP accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of enabling “a deliberate rewriting of history”, alleging that Indian nationalism is being vilified in educational institutions.
“Bengal was once the cradle of intellectualism and nationalism. Today, that legacy is being tarnished,” the BJP said in a statement.
Vidyasagar University Issues Clarification
In response to the uproar, Vice Chancellor Dipak Kumar Kar acknowledged the error, calling it a “printing mistake”:
“I inquired about the matter and found that the error occurred during moderation. It was not detected during proofreading. The mistake was unintentional.”
The university took disciplinary action, replacing the teacher responsible for moderating the question and removing the Chairman of the Undergraduate Board of Studies in History.
Conclusion
While the Vice Chancellor has promised corrective measures, the incident has already sparked nationwide debate on academic responsibility, historical accuracy, and politicization of education. The question now remains whether this was a genuine mistake or symptomatic of deeper issues in curriculum oversight and ideological influence.