Savarkar quiz row: BJP protests before education minister over teacher's suspension

Kasaragod: BJP workers, led by Kasaragod district president M L Ashwini, staged an angry protest against General Education Minister N Samsudheen on Monday, August 10, after his department suspended a primary school teacher for a quiz question that described Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar as "the freedom fighter who received the harshest punishment from the British".

However, the protest site at Government Higher Secondary School in Kumbla witnessed tense moments as Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) workers also assembled and raised slogans in support of the departmental action.

A day after the General Education Department suspended Guru Prasad, a teacher at the government-aided upper primary (AUP) school at Pallathadka in Badiadka panchayat, the minister visited the Kumbla school to inaugurate a new block and a computer lab.

Police intervened to prevent a confrontation between the two groups and detained three BJP workers who were at the forefront of the protest. They attempted to block the police vehicle carrying the detained workers, leading to further commotion at the school premises.

Later, they marched to Kumbla police station and staged a protest demanding the release of the detained activists.

The controversy stems from a 'Freedom Quiz' conducted on August 6 in schools under the Kumbla and Manjeshwar education sub-districts as part of the 80th Independence Day celebrations. One of the questions in the lower primary category asked: "Who was the freedom fighter who received the harshest punishment from the British?" The answer key identified Savarkar as the correct answer.

The question triggered sharp criticism from political leaders, including Manjeshwar MLA AKM Ashraf and the CPM, who alleged that the quiz was an attempt to promote an RSS narrative and distort the history of India's freedom struggle.

Following the controversy, Minister Samsudheen ordered an inquiry. Based on the report submitted by the Kasaragod Deputy Director of Education Rafeeq, the General Education Department on Sunday suspended Guru Prasad. Prasad is the secretary of the Social Science Club, Kumbla sub-district, which was responsible for setting the questions.

Addressing reporters in Kumbla on Monday, Samsudheen said the quiz was not part of the official academic calendar but had been organised locally in connection with Independence Day celebrations. "It was not right to pursue personal interests under the guise of a quiz competition," the minister said. He added that action was taken based on the findings of the inquiry and that the departmental investigation was continuing.

"If more teachers are found to have been involved, action will be taken against them as well," he said.

'Error in wording'
Defending the suspended teacher, BJP leader Ashwini alleged that the government had acted under political pressure and accused the Congress-led administration of trying to appease its coalition partner, the IUML.

She maintained that Guru Prasad had only supervised the competition and was being unfairly targeted. According to her, the controversy arose because of an error in the wording of the question.

"Instead of 'highest punishment', the question should have referred to the 'longest prison term'," she said, arguing that the Education Department should clarify why no action had been taken against those who actually framed the question.

Ashwini also said the BJP would oppose any attempt by the UDF government to diminish Savarkar's role in the freedom movement.

Savarkar was arrested in London in March 1910 in connection with the conspiracy around the assassination of British district magistrate A M T Jackson in Nasik in 1909 and was sentenced to 50 years. He was sent to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands in July 1911. During his imprisonment, he submitted several petitions seeking mercy from the British authorities. He was released from Yerawada prison in January 1924 on the condition that he remain in Ratnagiri and refrain from political activity. The restrictions were lifted in 1937, after which he became active in the Hindu Mahasabha. Under his leadership, the organisation opposed the Quit India Movement in 1942.