‘DU will not encourage anything that glorifies Pakistan’: V-C amid syllabus revisions

Singh’s remarks follow internal deliberations over the likely removal of these postgraduate courses in Political Science: Pakistan and the World, China’s Role in the Contemporary World, Islam and International Relations, Pakistan: State and Society, and Religious Nationalism and Political Violence.

The V-C clarified that while departments are free to propose Pakistani thinkers “who are not anti-national,” final decisions on academic content rest with the university’s elected Academic Council (AC), not the administration. “Syllabus and academic matters are passed by the AC, which is a democratic house in a democratic manner,” Singh said.

Discussions around syllabi revision have taken on political and ideological overtones at the varsity, with several faculty members raising concerns about the narrowing of academic space.

Following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, heads of departments were reportedly instructed to review academic material and remove any unnecessary “glorification” of Pakistan.

In June, The Indian Express reported that the Department of Philosophy had been directed to exclude references to Pakistan, poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, as well as the Manusmriti from its syllabi following an email directive from Dean of Academics.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Professor Sanjeev Kumar H M, a faculty member of the Department of Political Science with a specialisation in Islamic Thought and International Relations, among others, defended the revision process.

“There is a process in which the Department Council proposes changes, and it then goes to the Committee of Courses. That committee makes suggestions, and the syllabus then goes to the Board of Studies. From there,

it moves to the Standing Committee, where elected members and experts comment and make recommendations. It is then sent back to the department. This entire process is mediated by the Head. There is a democratic process involved in this — it is a matter between the faculty and the Standing Committee,” he said.

He added that some readings from 10–15 years ago may now appear decontextualised, given changing global dynamics. “Our goal is to give the right image. How we portray Pakistan needs some kind of streamlining. It is not about administrative interference,” Kumar said.

“Debating Article 370, for instance, becomes decontextualised without background.”

Harendranath Tiwari, member of the Standing Committee, argued that the ideological bent of some proposed papers was a concern. “The Arts have always been dominated by Left ideologies. Certain papers presented in the Standing Committee were agenda-driven. It is not like Pakistan is not being taught — it is taught in various courses. But the perspective matters. Courses with an ‘India-centric’ approach have been passed. The problem lies with the ‘Pakistan-centric’ way of drafting,” he said.

However, a professor from the History department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “How do we teach Partition without mentioning or talking about Pakistan?”

The professor added that efforts to erase or avoid discussion of sensitive subjects “risk diluting both historical accuracy and academic honesty”.

Professor Rekha Saxena, Head, Department of Political Science, declined to comment when contacted by The Indian Express.

Other departments have also seen cuts in their syllabi. During a meeting of the Standing Committee on Academic Matters last month, several key topics — including the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Kashmir issue — were allegedly removed from a proposed syllabus revision by the Department of Psychology.