The newly revised NCERT Class 12 Political Science textbook, released last week, has significantly altered its coverage of the Babri Masjid and the controversial Ayodhya dispute. The revised text refrains from mentioning the Babri Masjid by name, referring to it instead as a “three-domed structure.” The section on Ayodhya has been condensed from four pages to two, with several key details omitted.
The previous textbook provided an extensive account of events surrounding the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992. This included the BJP’s rath yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya, the role of kar sevaks, communal violence following the demolition, and the imposition of President’s rule in BJP-ruled states. Additionally, it highlighted the BJP’s expression of regret over the incident and the subsequent debate over secularism.
In contrast, the revised version mentions the 1986 court decision to unlock the structure for worship and notes the longstanding dispute over the site, believed by Hindus to be the birthplace of Shri Ram. It briefly outlines the heightened tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities and mentions the demolition of the structure in 1992, without detailing the communal violence that followed.
The new textbook introduces a subsection on the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict, which awarded the disputed site to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust for the construction of a Ram temple and directed the government to allot land for a mosque. This section emphasizes the role of the legal process in resolving the dispute and highlights the decision as a testament to India’s democratic ethos.
Notably, all newspaper clippings and references to specific judgments, including the 1994 Supreme Court conviction of then UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh for contempt of court, have been removed. The updated content aligns with NCERT’s ongoing efforts to reflect recent political developments and reduce curriculum load.
This revision marks the fourth round of changes to NCERT textbooks since 2014, with previous updates aimed at incorporating recent events, reducing syllabus burden, and addressing learning disruptions due to COVID.
