JAMMU: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Friday staged protests at University of Jammu, demanding the withdrawal of a chapter on Muhammad Ali Jinnah included in the revised postgraduate Political Science syllabus under the National Education Policy 2020.
The university, however, defended the inclusion, stating that the topic aligns with guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and is part of curricula followed by several universities across the country.
Led by ABVP Jammu and Kashmir secretary Sannak Shrivats, activists assembled on campus, raised slogans against the administration, and demanded immediate removal of the chapter from the “Modern Indian Political Thought” module under the paper “Minorities and the Nation.” Protesters also tore posters of Jinnah and warned of intensifying agitation if their demand is not met.
“Our government should take note that the Department of Political Science at Jammu University has released its syllabus for 2026–2028. Under ‘Modern Indian Political Thought,’ certain individuals are being presented as representatives of minorities, including Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. These are the same individuals associated with the partition of the country and the Two-Nation Theory. Teaching about them raises concerns,” an ABVP leader said.
Shrivats said academic freedom should not override national sentiment and termed the inclusion “unacceptable” to students. He warned that the organisation would launch a wider democratic agitation across Jammu and Kashmir if the decision is not reversed.
Responding to the protests, Head of the Political Science Department Baljit Singh Mann said the syllabus is designed purely for academic purposes and reflects diverse political thought in modern India.
“In the module, we teach various thinkers of the modern Indian period, including Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Muhammad Iqbal. We also cover Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, M. S. Golwalkar, Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,” Mann said.
He emphasised that the university does not promote any ideology but presents multiple perspectives to enable critical analysis by students. “This is an academic exercise, not advocacy,” he added.
Mann further noted that excluding such topics could disadvantage students appearing for competitive exams like the National Eligibility Test (NET), as similar content is part of UGC-recommended syllabi and taught in universities across India.
The controversy has sparked a wider debate on academic freedom and curriculum design, with tensions continuing on campus.
