A class IX Hindi language textbook published by the Gujarat board mistakenly used the word ‘haivaan’ (devil) before Jesus Christ instead of the intended word ‘bhagwan’ (God) in a chapter, triggering protests from the Christian community that have demanded the book be withdrawn.
When brought to their notice, officials of the Gujarat State School Textbook Board (GSSTB), which published the textbook, rectified the mistake in the online version of the book on their website.
Assuring an internal inquiry, GSSTB executive president Nitin Pethani said it was a “printing mistake”.
The controversial reference appears on page 16 in the chapter ‘Teacher-student relationship in Indian culture’.
The statement reads: “Is sambandh me ‘haivaan Issa’ ka ek kathan sada smaraniya hai. (In this context, a statement by ‘demon Jesus’ is always memorable).”
“This was nothing but a printing mistake. Instead of word ‘Bhagwan’, the word ‘haivaan’ got printed. We have already made the correction in the online version. Since books have already been distributed among students, it is not possible to withdraw them now,” Pethani said.
Several members of the Christian community gathered outside the office of the District Education Officer (DEO) here and demanded withdrawal of the book.
“The textbook has depicted our God in a bad light. We condemn the word used for Jesus Christ. It has hurt our religious sentiments. We want the government to withdraw the book immediately,” an agitator said.
When asked how they will ensure that right knowledge was imparted to students, Pethani said, “To make sure that the corrected version is taught to students, we will issue a written advisory to all the teachers, asking them to take into account this correction while teaching this subject”.
The Indian Christian Voice, an organisation representing the larger interests of the Christian community in India, also took umbrage to the incident, and released a statement that the reference deeply hurt the religious sentiments of both Christians and Muslims, who also regard him as a highly revered Prophet in Islam.
“The Christian community, known worldwide as peace-loving, is deeply offended by the chapter in the textbook prepared by Gujarat State School Textbook Board. We demand criminal action against the perpetrators and an unconditional apology from the state government,” ICV president Abraham Mathai told IANS.
He said the book must be withdrawn and/or re-issued only after incorporating corrections, and the state government must re-assure the minority communities about its commitment to protect them.
“Such wild and reckless statements have the potential to spark off a conflagration that could seriously jeopardise communal harmony. In the larger interest of peace, this particular edition of the book must be withdrawn and banned immediately,” Mathai said.
The ICV chief said the offence invites action under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to hurting religious sentiments of any class and must be invoked against those responsible to ensure such a ‘typo’ is never repeated in future.
Source: HindustanTimes