Did Mughal emperor Aurangzeb gave grant for repairs of temples? The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has no answer to an RTI and hence have been served a legal notice in a school textbook distortion case.
An RTI activist from Bharatpur, Dapinder Singh has sent a legal notice to NCERT and asked them to make necessary amendments in the class 12th history book. Dapinder Singh has mentioned that the information provided in the book is neither cross-checked nor based on any facts. It is distortion of history.
The NCERT came under the scrutiny when an RTI activist Shivank Verma tried to seek evidence on the claims made in the book ‘Themes of Indian History (Part II)’ for class XII. On page 234 of the history textbook, it says, “All Mughal emperors gave grants to support the building and maintenance of places of worship. Even when temples were destroyed during war, grants were later issued for their repair – as we know from the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.”
The NCERT was also asked in the RTI to tell how many temples Aurangzeb and Shah Jahan rebuilt? However, in response to both the question, “The information is not available on the files of the Department” was given. The reply was furnished by professor , , head of the Department of Education in Social Sciences and also the Public Information Officer.
Another RTI activist Sanjiv Vakil said that students are taught history based on imagination. “NCERT books are considered a benchmark for educational books. They are also used for preparation of civil service and other competitive examinations. The future generation is being pushed into the wrong direction and it could lead to disastrous results,” he was quoted.
