'Not justified to portray Sikhs as separatists': SGPC claims misrepresentation of history in NCERT book

Amritsar: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday claimed that the NCERT has misrepresented historical details related to Sikhs in its Political Science syllabus book of Class 12. 

SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said in a statement that the National Council of Educational Research and Training 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.

Explaining the 1973 resolution, he said it 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.

"The communal aspect has been taken while removing some old information and adding some new details in the Class 12 syllabus," he claimed. "It is sad that changes are being made according to what suits the incumbent central government. Curricula especially about minorities are being eliminated and arbitrary syllabus is being created.

Accordingly, the Anandpur Sahib resolution has been wrongly interpreted in the book 'Politics In India Since Independence'," claimed Dhami. The SGPC chief said the Anandpur Sahib resolution is a historical document that does not contain anything wrong.