DU lists ‘Muslim’ as mother tongue, omits Urdu; error rectified in application form after criticism

Delhi University has come under scrutiny after the CSAS UG application form 2025 listed ‘Muslim’ under the mother tongue category - a glaring error that conflates religion with language. The omission of Urdu, widely spoken language by Muslims in the northern region, has further fueled public outcry, with academics, students, and others expressing concerns about cultural insensitivity.

The mistake in the DU UG form was pointed out by Abha Dev Habib, Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF) general secretary in a Facebook post.

“The DU registration form for undergraduate admissions could not be more Islamophobic. Under "Mother Tongue", the form omits Urdu entirely while listing "Muslim" as a mother tongue. Is it beyond DU's understanding that Muslims speak the same languages as others from their regions? The omission is despite the fact that Urdu is listed as an officially recognised language in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution,” the post read.

“How can a central university publish such a form? This reflects a profound dumbing down motivated by a communal mindset. It needs to be condemned, accountability must be fixed and correction with apology ought to be made immediately,” she added.

DU UG CSAS portal erroneously listed 'Muslim' under mother tongue category.

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Errors in DU CSAS UG application form

Social media users quickly started reacting to the goof-up in the DU form. An X user shared the screenshot and claimed: “This is the website of Delhi University where Muslims have been removed from the minority category and only Christians & Sikhs have been kept.”

'Muslim minority not listed'. (Source: X)

Another wrote: “This is Islamophobia.... Uproar over Urdu in DU admission form; Urdu removed from the mother tongue section and words like 'Muslim', Dehati, Chamaar included.”

“We have removed 'Muslim' and added Urdu. We don't know how it happened. There are so many languages; there may have been an oversight,” The Federal quoted dean admission Haneet Gandhi as saying.

The error in the DU CSAS application form 2025 has been rectified, the university reportedly said. The university has opened the CSAS admission portal, admission.uod.ac.in, on June 17, to fill a total of 71,624 seats.