Kerala school quiz row: Inquiry ordered over Savarkar 'freedom fighter' question

Thiruvananthapuram: A political row erupted in Kerala over a question in a school quiz that described Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar as a freedom fighter "who received the most severe punishment from the British", prompting General Education Minister N Samsudheen to order an inquiry. The minister directed the Director of General Education to investigate who prepared and conducted the quiz and take stringent action against those responsible, his office said in a statement on Saturday.

The "Freedom Quiz" was conducted on August 6 for lower primary students in schools in the Kasaragod, Kumbla and Manjeshwar sub-districts. According to the minister's office, the quiz was not part of the activity calendar of either the Social Science Club or the General Education Department, and neither had authorised anyone to prepare the questions or conduct the competition independently. "The person who included the historically incorrect question holds a prejudiced view," the statement said, adding that the minister had instructed the Education Director to identify those responsible and take strict action. The disputed question asked, "Who is the freedom fighter that received the most severe punishment from the British?" with Savarkar given as the answer.

According to reports, teachers associated with the Social Science Club had prepared the questionnaire. The issue triggered sharp criticism from the CPI(M) and Left student and youth organisations, which accused the Congress-led UDF government of allowing the "Sangh Parivar agenda" to enter the education sector. CPI(M) veteran and former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan accused the UDF government of "colluding" with the RSS and alleged that attempts were being made to hide Savarkar's "real history" and glorify him.

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Addressing a press conference in Kannur, Vijayan alleged that the Centre and the RSS were "attempting to rewrite history", and said the issue should also be viewed in the context of efforts to implement the Centre's new education policy in Kerala. Former General Education Minister V Sivankutty alleged that the quiz question was part of an attempt to "saffronise" the state's general education sector and distort the history of the freedom struggle.

He said it was objectionable to describe Savarkar as a freedom fighter who received the most severe punishment from the British and alleged that the question amounted to an attempt to propagate "false history". Sivankutty demanded a comprehensive inquiry, strict action against those responsible, and the immediate withdrawal of the disputed question and answer. He also sought an apology from the General Education Department to students and the public. SFI state secretary P S Sanjeev alleged that the quiz sought to portray Savarkar, whom he described as one of the accused in the conspiracy surrounding Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, as a freedom fighter.

"Under the UDF government in Kerala, with the IUML handling the general education portfolio, an attempt is being made to create a role for the Sangh Parivar, which betrayed the freedom struggle," Sanjeev said in a social media post. DYFI state secretary K Sanoj criticised the government, saying there was no justification for a school quiz to contain a question that allegedly glorified Savarkar. Senior IUML leader and former minister M K Muneer said portraying Savarkar as a patriot was part of the RSS-BJP agenda. If such a question had indeed been included in the quiz, it should be seriously examined and those responsible identified, he said, adding that the issue should not be viewed lightly.