RAMBAN, Aug 14: The Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), District Ramban unit, has strongly condemned the suspension of teacher Shri Guru Prasad for asking a question related to Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in the School Social Science Freedom Quiz organised in Kumbla Sub-District of Kasaragod district, Kerala, and has demanded his immediate reinstatement.
Dr. Ramparshad Singh Manhas, District President, ABRSM Ramban, stated that Savarkar is an important historical figure associated with India’s freedom movement. His revolutionary life, imprisonment by the British authorities, and incarceration in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands are legitimate subjects of historical study. One may agree or disagree with his political and ideological views, but merely asking a question about a historical personality cannot reasonably be treated as an act of indiscipline or as promotion of any political ideology. Suspending a teacher on such grounds, therefore, appears unjustified.
He further stated that the Indian freedom movement is not the property of any single political party or ideology. Its history was shaped by the contributions and sacrifices of countless personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sri Aurobindo and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, among many others.
Shri Pawan Kishore, General Secretary, ABRSM Ramban, said that if the question paper had been examined or approved by the concerned authorities before being circulated to schools, it would be inappropriate to hold only the teacher who prepared the question responsible for any alleged error. The entire process of preparation, sourcing, scrutiny and approval of the question paper should be examined impartially. Suspending a teacher before completion of such an inquiry may create an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship among teachers.
He further said that educational institutions should provide an environment where teachers and students are encouraged to question, reason, examine evidence and understand different historical perspectives. Historical personalities should be studied critically and objectively rather than being excluded from educational discourse because of contemporary political disagreements.
He also pointed out that Savarkar has been officially commemorated and publicly acknowledged in independent India at different points in time. The Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair, the issuance of a commemorative postage stamp in his honour during the tenure of Smt. Indira Gandhi, and the installation of his portrait in the Parliament House are among the examples that demonstrate his place in India’s public historical memory.
The Mahasangh maintained that history should be studied through facts, evidence, historical context and critical inquiry, rather than through political or ideological pressure. No historical personality should be either glorified uncritically or excluded from discussion merely because of political differences.
The Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh, District Ramban, has therefore demanded the immediate and unconditional revocation of the suspension of Guru Prasad and his reinstatement in service, along with an impartial inquiry into the entire matter. The Mahasangh has also called for full protection of the academic freedom, freedom of expression and dignity of teachers, so that educators can discharge their responsibilities without fear or undue pressure.