NCERT’s New Module Controversy: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced a special module for schools to mark ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’. The module is designed separately for Classes 6-8 and Classes 9-12, outside of the regular textbooks.

The module says Partition was not caused by one person alone but by three forces -“Jinnah, who had been propagating the partition; the Congress, which accepted the partition; and Mountbatten, who had been sent to implement the partition.”

It further highlights how Partition created a new security challenge in Kashmir, adding: “Since then, one of our neighbouring countries has been using this problem to put pressure on India in different ways.”

From the reports of ANI agency, The modules call Partition an “unprecedented human tragedy, with no parallel in world history.” They highlight mass killings, the displacement of nearly 1.5 crore people, widespread sexual violence, and refugee trains that arrived “filled only with corpses, having been slaughtered en route.”

They also point out that violence had already erupted before Partition was finalised, noting, “Some horrors began even before Partition was finalised… The horrific events in Noakhali and Calcutta (1946), and Rawalpindi, Thoha, and Beval (March 1947) stand as chilling examples.”

Jinnah’s Role and Congress’s Concession

The text cites the 1940 Lahore Resolution, where Muhammad Ali Jinnah asserted that Hindus and Muslims had “two different villages, philosophy, social customs, and literature.”

According to the module, the British had first tried to maintain India’s unity by proposing dominion status, but this offer was rejected by the Congress.

Gandhi, Patel and Nehru on Partition

The module highlights the views of India’s key leaders during Partition.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is quoted as saying that the situation in India had turned dangerous: “India had become a battlefield and it was better to partition the country than to have a civil war.”

Mahatma Gandhi opposed the idea of Partition but refused to use violence to resist Congress’s decision. The module notes: “He said that he could not be a party to the partition, but he would not stop Congress from accepting it with violence.”

Eventually, Jawaharlal Nehru and Patel agreed to Partition. Gandhi later convinced the Congress Working Committee on June 14, 1947, to also accept the decision.

Blame Placed on Mountbatten

The module sharply criticises Lord Mountbatten for rushing the transfer of power. It notes: “Mountbatten had announced June 1948 as the date of transfer of power but later preponed it to August 1947.”

This sudden change, the text argues, led to widespread confusion and suffering. The hurried drawing of boundaries meant that, “in many places, people did not even know by August 15, whether they were in India or Pakistan.”

What Is The Controversy?

The Congress has strongly opposed NCERT’s version of Partition. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera said: “Burn this document as it doesn’t tell the truth. Partition happened due to nexus between Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League.”

He added, “RSS is danger to this nation. Idea of partition was first propagated by Hindu Mahasabha in 1938. It was repeated by Jinnah in 1940.” The debate over the NCERT module has now escalated into a political flashpoint, with different groups offering rival narratives on who was responsible for Partition and how this chapter of history should be taught to students.

Sandeep Dikshit, Congress Leader reacted on the NCERT’s New module says, “…I challenge NCERT for a discussion on Partition. Today, they (BJP) have NCERT under their control; they don’t know anything about Partition.”

#WATCH | Delhi | On the new NCERT module on Partition Horrors, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit says, “…I challenge NCERT for a discussion on Partition. Today, they (BJP) have NCERT under their control; they don’t know anything about Partition.”

On PM Modi’s Independence Day… pic.twitter.com/XJZxhs9kEA — ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2025

Addittionally, the modules end with a warning for coming generations: “Shortsightedness in rulers can become a national catastrophe. Giving concessions to violence to gain peace results in whetting the appetite of violence-prone groups.”

They stress that remembering the “horrors of Partition” is important only if India learns from them by rejecting communal politics and ensuring that leaders place the nation’s welfare above personal or party interests.

(From the inputs of ANI)