Protests Erupt Over Jinnah Chapter in Jammu University's Syllabus

Protests led by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) erupted at the University of Jammu on Friday, demanding the removal of a chapter on former Pakistan president Muhammad Ali Jinnah from the revised postgraduate political science syllabus under the National Education Policy 2020. The demonstrators, headed by ABVP Jammu and Kashmir secretary Sannak Shrivats, argued that Jinnah and similar figures should not be recognized as representatives of minorities in the curriculum.

Despite the uproar, the university maintained that the chapter is part of the academic standard across several Indian universities and complies with University Grants Commission guidelines. Department head Baljit Singh Mann defended the inclusion by stating that teaching about historical figures like Jinnah aids in understanding the evolution of their ideological perspectives, which is vital for students' competitive examination preparation.

While ABVP vowed to intensify protests if the content is not withdrawn, Mann reassured that the syllabus aims to expose students to diverse viewpoints without promoting any specific ideology. He emphasized that omitting such content would place students at a disadvantage in national examinations.