Jammu University Panel Recommends Dropping Jinnah from Political Science Syllabus

A committee formed by the University of Jammu has recommended the removal of topics related to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, and Muhammad Iqbal from the MA Political Science syllabus following protests by student groups. The move comes amid a growing controversy over the inclusion of these figures in the revised postgraduate curriculum under the National Education Policy 2020.

The recommendation was made after a meeting of the faculty and departmental affairs committee held on March 22, where members unanimously agreed to propose the removal of the concerned topics from both the one-year and two-year postgraduate programmes. Head of the Department, Professor Baljit Singh Mann, confirmed that the proposal has been forwarded to the Board of Studies for further consideration and a final decision.

The Board of Studies is scheduled to convene an online meeting on March 24 to deliberate on the committee’s recommendation. The outcome of this meeting will determine whether the suggested changes are formally adopted into the university’s curriculum. The development marks a significant step in an ongoing debate surrounding academic content and its alignment with contemporary sensitivities.

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The controversy was triggered by protests led by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which demanded the immediate withdrawal of a chapter on Jinnah. The student body argued that figures associated with the partition of India and the two-nation theory should not be included in academic syllabi, warning of intensified agitation if their demands were not met.

Earlier, the university had defended the inclusion of these figures, stating that the syllabus was designed strictly from an academic perspective and in accordance with guidelines set by the University Grants Commission. Officials maintained that the course on modern Indian political thought aimed to present a broad spectrum of ideologies and historical viewpoints.

The module in question includes several prominent thinkers such as Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and M. S. Golwalkar. University officials have emphasised that studying diverse figures is essential for understanding India’s political and historical evolution, even as the current debate continues to unfold.

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