The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has demanded a high-level probe into deletion of chapters related to the era of Sikh gurus from the Class 12 history book of Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).
Former Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema, who also wrote to Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh in this regard, said it was shocking that the state’s own school board had expunged the history makers of Punjab from the books.
Calling for a thorough probe into the issue, Cheema said the move could be part of a deep-rooted conspiracy to rob the future generations of Punjabis from knowledge about the history of Sikh Gurus and warriors of Punjab. He said corrective measures should be undertaken immediately, including a ban on sale and distribution of the new Class 12 history book.
Divulging details about this unfortunate development, the SAD leader said there were 23 chapters carrying information about Sikh Gurus, Sikh warriors and historical facts about Punjab in the Class 12 history book. He said all these chapters had been removed and replaced with a half page description about the glorious period of Sikh history.
“This is intolerable as it amounts to playing with the sentiments of the Sikh community and purposefully ignoring the contributions of the Sikh Gurus in the history of the country,” he added.
Cheema said the new book had also done injustice with Punjabis by ignoring their stellar role in the freedom struggle as well as their contributions to safeguard the unity and integrity of the country.
The former education minister also requested the CM to constitute a high-level committee of experts to give suggestions especially when there was any move to make changes in history books of the state school board. He said if this had been done, the situation could have been averted.