‘Which freedom fighter received most severe punishment?’ Kerala orders probe into Savarkar quiz

File
photo:
Vi ayak
Damoda
Sava ka

NEW
DELHI:
A
political
ow
has
e upted
i
Ke ala
ove
a
school
quiz
questio
that
desc ibed
Hi dutva
ideologue
Vi ayak
Damoda
Sava ka
as
the
f eedom
fighte
who
eceived
the
“most
seve e
pu ishme t”
f om
the
B itish,
p ompti g
ge e al
educatio
mi iste
N
Samsudhee
to
o de
a
i qui y.The
“F eedom
Quiz”
was
co ducted
o
August
6
fo
lowe
p ima y
stude ts
i
schools
i
the
Kasa agod,
Kumbla
a d
Ma jeshwa
sub-dist icts,
acco di g
to
ews
age cy
PTI.The
disputed
questio
asked:
“Who
is
the
f eedom
fighte
that
eceived
the
most
seve e
pu ishme t
f om
the
B itish?”
Sava ka
was
give
as
the
a swe .The
mi iste ‘s
office
said
Samsudhee
has
di ected
the
di ecto
of
ge e al
educatio
to
establish
who
p epa ed
a d
co ducted
the
quiz
a d
take
st i ge t
actio
agai st
those
espo sible.

Educatio
depa tme t
says
quiz
was
ot
autho ised

Acco di g
to
the
mi iste ‘s
office,
the
quiz
was
ot
i cluded
i
the
activity
cale da
of
eithe
the
Social
Scie ce
Club
o
the
Ge e al
Educatio
Depa tme t.
Neithe
had
autho ised
a yo e
to
i depe de tly
p epa e
the
questio s
o
co duct
the
competitio .”The
pe so
who
i cluded
the
histo ically
i co ect
questio
holds
a
p ejudiced
view,”
the
mi iste ‘s
office
said,
addi g
that
the
Educatio
Di ecto
had
bee
i st ucted
to
ide tify
those
espo sible
a d
take
st ict
actio .

As
pe
PTI,
teache s
associated
with
the
Social
Scie ce
Club
had
p epa ed
the
questio ai e.The
co t ove sy
has
si ce
d aw
c iticism
f om
the
CPI(M)
a d
Left-affiliated
stude t
a d
youth
o ga isatio s,
which
accused
the
Co g ess-led
UDF
gove me t
of
allowi g
what
they
desc ibed
as
a
“Sa gh
Pa iva
age da”
to
e te
the
educatio
system.

Pi a ayi
Vijaya
accuses
gove me t
of
‘colludi g’
with
RSS

CPI(M)
vete a
a d
fo me
Ke ala
chief
mi iste
Pi a ayi
Vijaya
accused
the
UDF
gove me t
of
“colludi g”
with
the
RSS
a d
alleged
that
effo ts
we e
bei g
made
to
co ceal
Sava ka ‘s
histo y
a d
glo ify
him.Add essi g
a
p ess
co fe e ce
i
Ka u ,
Vijaya
alleged
that
the
Ce t e
a d
the
RSS
we e
attempti g
to
” ew ite
histo y”.
He
also
li ked
the
co t ove sy
to
the
Ce t e’s
effo ts
to
impleme t
its
ew
educatio
policy
i
Ke ala.Fo me
ge e al
educatio
mi iste
V
Siva kutty
also
c iticised
the
questio ,
allegi g
that
it
was
pa t
of
a
attempt
to
“saff o ise”
Ke ala’s
ge e al
educatio
secto
a d
disto t
the
histo y
of
I dia’s
f eedom
st uggle.Siva kutty
dema ded
a
comp ehe sive
i qui y,
st ict
actio
agai st
those
espo sible
a d
the
withd awal
of
the
disputed
questio
a d
a swe .
He
also
sought
a
apology
f om
the
Ge e al
Educatio
Depa tme t.

Left
g oups,
IUML
leade s
c iticise
questio

SFI
state
sec eta y
P
S
Sa jeev
alleged
that
the
quiz
sought
to
po t ay
Sava ka
as
a
f eedom
fighte .
I
a
social
media
post,
he
c iticised
the
UDF
gove me t
a d
alleged
that
the
ge e al
educatio
po tfolio
was
bei g
used
to
c eate
space
fo
the
Sa gh
Pa iva .

DYFI
state
sec eta y
K
Sa oj
also
c iticised
the
gove me t,
sayi g
the e
was
o
justificatio
fo
a
school
quiz
to
co tai
a
questio
that
allegedly
glo ified
Sava ka .Se io
I dia
U io
Muslim
League
(IUML)
leade
a d
fo me
mi iste
M
K
Mu ee
said
po t ayi g
Sava ka
as
a
pat iot
was
pa t
of
the
RSS-BJP
age da.Mu ee ,
howeve ,
said
that
if
the
questio
had
i deed
bee
i cluded
i
the
quiz,
the
matte
should
be
se iously
exami ed
a d
those
espo sible
ide tified,
addi g
that
it
should
ot
be
t eated
lightly.

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