Committee has sought a month’s time to submit report

A meeting convened on Thursday by a special committee — to deliberate on whether lessons pertaining to Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan should be dropped, retained, or modified in school textbooks — saw heated arguments on the issue that went on for over two hours.

The committee, comprising officials and experts, has been asked to submit a report within a fortnight, but experts have sought a month’s time.

The meeting was convened after Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan of the BJP wrote to the State government demanding that the lessons on Tipu be removed, alleging that the ruler was a “fanatic”. At the meeting, Mr. Rajan made a presentation and urged the officials of the Karnataka Textbook Society and subject experts to remove the lessons.

An official of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) said the committee would scrutinise the documents presented by Mr. Ranjan and then give their opinion. “We will forward the report by the members of the committee to the government, and the government will take a call,” said an official of the DPI.

As many as 10 members were present at the meeting which included officials of the Karnataka Textbook Society, subject experts who were part of the textbook revision committee, and Mr. Ranjan and his lawyer.

Briefing presspersons after the meeting, Mr. Ranjan maintained that all lessons pertaining to Tipu should be removed and said he had submitted all documents that showed Tipu was a “cruel ruler”.

He argued that if it was not possible to entirely remove the lessons, he would want the textbooks to include “all the violence that Tipu had indulged in”. He demanded that “attempts to glorify him” should be done away with.

Mr. Ranjan said he was “positive” that the State government would consider his demand, as even Chief Minister B.S. Yeddiyurappa was on the same page. However, a source, who was at the meeting, felt that Mr. Ranjan’s claims were not backed by adequate documents.

Lessons pertaining to Tipu are currently in the State syllabus for class six, seven, and ten.