‘Terrorist’ tag to revolutionaries, varsity courts controversy
The Statesman | 11 July 2025
A controversy has erupted in West Bengal after a question in an undergraduate history examination paper set by Vidyasagar University referred to Indian freedom fighters as “terrorists”.
The phrasing has drawn sharp criticism from academics, civil society groups, and the state’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who have demanded action against university authorities. The BJP has written to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her to take strict action against those responsible for the wording. “This reflects the Congress-TMC ideological legacy, which has historically belittled revolutionaries,” said BJP’s state president Shamik Bhattacharya, echoing a sentiment often voiced by the party. “It is outrageous and an insult to the martyrs of India’s freedom struggle,” he added. At the centre of the controversy is a question from the sixth semester undergraduate history exam that reads: “Name three district magistrates of Midnapur who were killed by terrorists.”
The question has sparked outrage for describing Indian revolutionaries — who resisted British colonial rule — as “terrorists”. The term has been deemed “deeply offensive” by several historians and educationists, who argue that such language reflects colonial-era British propaganda and is not appropriate in the context of modern India. The university has acknowledged the issue and launched an internal inquiry. Jayanta Kishore Nandi, registrar of Vidyasagar University, said: “Preliminary findings suggest a printing error. The vice-chancellor has ordered the controller of examinations to submit a report by Thursday morning.” The exam question refers to three British officers — district magistrates James Peddy, Robert Douglas, and Bernard Burge — who were assassinated in Midnapur during the 1930s by Indian revolutionaries resisting British oppression.
In April 1931, revolutionary Bimal Dasgupta shot and killed Peddy in a classroom at Midnapore Collegiate School in retaliation for his alleged brutal suppression of the salt satyagraha movement. Later that year, in September, Douglas reportedly ordered police firing on inmates inside Khargpur’s Hijli jail, leading to the deaths of freedom fighters Santosh Kumar Mitra and Tarakeswar Sengupta. Douglas was subsequently assassinated by revolutionary Pradyot Bhattacharya in April 1932. Burge, the third magistrate, was gunned down in September 1932 at a football match by student revolutionaries Mrigen Dutta and Ramakrishna Roy.
Calling these revolutionaries ‘terrorists’ has struck a raw nerve in a region that proudly remembers its contribution to India’s independence movement. Akbar Ali Shah, a history professor at Chandrakona Road Gourav Guin College under the university, said: “This is not just a factual error. It is a disgrace. The question paper was full of mistakes and repetitions, and now this—branding our martyrs as ‘terrorists’. It’s shameful.”
Kinkar Adhikari, general secretary of the Shikshanuragi Oikya Mancha (Education Enthusiasts’ Forum), said: “This is no longer colonial India. How can an Indian university label its own freedom fighters as terrorists? It’s unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms.” The university’s inquiry committee is expected to submit its findings within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the incident continues to fuel political debate in a state where history and identity often serve as potent political battlegrounds.‘Terrorist’ tag to revolutionaries, varsity courts controversy
The university has acknowledged the issue and launched an internal inquiry
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
KOLKATA, 10 JULY
A controversy has erupted in West Bengal after a question in an undergraduate history examination paper set by Vidyasagar University referred to Indian freedom fighters as “terrorists”.
The phrasing has drawn sharp criticism from academics, civil society groups, and the state’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who have demanded action against university authorities. The BJP has written to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her to take strict action against those responsible for the wording. “This reflects the Congress-TMC ideological legacy, which has historically belittled revolutionaries,” said BJP’s state president Shamik Bhattacharya, echoing a sentiment often voiced by the party. “It is outrageous and an insult to the martyrs of India’s freedom struggle,” he added. At the centre of the controversy is a question from the sixth semester undergraduate history exam that reads: “Name three district magistrates of Midnapur who were killed by terrorists.”
The question has sparked outrage for describing Indian revolutionaries — who resisted British colonial rule — as “terrorists”. The term has been deemed “deeply offensive” by several historians and educationists, who argue that such language reflects colonial-era British propaganda and is not appropriate in the context of modern India. The university has acknowledged the issue and launched an internal inquiry. Jayanta Kishore Nandi, registrar of Vidyasagar University, said: “Preliminary findings suggest a printing error. The vice-chancellor has ordered the controller of examinations to submit a report by Thursday morning.” The exam question refers to three British officers — district magistrates James Peddy, Robert Douglas, and Bernard Burge — who were assassinated in Midnapur during the 1930s by Indian revolutionaries resisting British oppression.
In April 1931, revolutionary Bimal Dasgupta shot and killed Peddy in a classroom at Midnapur Collegiate School in retaliation for his alleged brutal suppression of the salt satyagraha movement. Later that year, in September, Douglas reportedly ordered police firing on inmates inside Khargpur’s Hijli jail, leading to the deaths of freedom fighters Santosh Kumar Mitra and Tarakeswar Sengupta. Douglas was subsequently assassinated by revolutionary Pradyot Bhattacharya in April 1932. Burge, the third magistrate, was gunned down in September 1932 at a football match by student revolutionaries Mrigen Dutta and Ramakrishna Roy.
Calling these revolutionaries ‘terrorists’ has struck a raw nerve in a region that proudly remembers its contribution to India’s independence movement. Akbar Ali Shah, a history professor at Chandrakona Road Gourav Guin College under the university, said: “This is not just a factual error. It is a disgrace. The question paper was full of mistakes and repetitions, and now this—branding our martyrs as ‘terrorists’. It’s shameful.”
Kinkar Adhikari, general secretary of the Shikshanuragi Oikya Mancha (Education Enthusiasts’ Forum), said: “This is no longer colonial India. How can an Indian university label its own freedom fighters as terrorists? It’s unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms.” The university’s inquiry committee is expected to submit its findings within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the incident continues to fuel political debate in a state where history and identity often serve as potent political battlegrounds.