BIG Decision! 'Khalistan', 'Separate Sikh Nation' dropped from NCERT Class 12 book; check details

The NCERT said that an expert committee was constituted to look into the complaint, and the decision has been taken on their recommendation.

In a major development, NCERT, the top advisory body for the Centre and states on school education, has said that references of Khalistan, or a separate Sikh nation, would no longer be a part of the political science syllabi for Class 12 students of CBSE. The NCERT has dropped "objectionable content against Sikh community" after a letter from top Sikh body the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), and other stakeholders.

The NCERT said that an expert committee was constituted to look into the complaint, and the decision has been taken on their recommendation.

In its official statement, the NCERT said, "From the last sentence of the third paragraph under the sub-heading 'Punjab' the line'...but it could also be interpreted as a plea for a separate Sikh nation' is dropped. Just before this line, the given statement is rewritten as 'The Resolution was a plea for strengthening federalism in India'. In the same section (Sub-heading 'Punjab'), from the last sentence of the fourth paragraph, '... and the creation of Khalistan' is dropped."

"The soft copy of the Class 12 Political Science textbook with changes is uploaded on the NCERT's website," it added.

Recently, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami had said that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has recorded "misleading information" about the Anandpur Sahib resolution in Chapter-8, namely Regional Aspirations, of its book 'Politics In India Since Independence', which has hurt the sentiments of the community.

Dhami explained that the 1973 resolution talked about the state's rights and strengthening the federal structure. "It is not at all justified to portray Sikhs as separatists, so the NCERT should remove such highly objectionable mentions," Dhami said.