The Rajasthan government has issued an order to remove the book based on the Godhra incident being taught in schools in the state. All schools have been asked to remove distributed books and instructions for purchasing this book have been cancelled.
During the previous Gehlot government, the government had included a book called ‘Invisible People – Stories of Hope and Courage’ in the syllabus of Rajasthan schools, which has now been decided to be removed. Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar says that this book spreads lies about the Godhra incident and divides the society. In the book, those who burned the train in Godhra are glorified and Hindus are portrayed as criminals. Wrong things have also been written about the then Gujarat government.
Madan Dilawar accused former Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasara of deliberately conspiring to teach such books to children in Rajasthan. Responding to this, former minister Govind Singh Dotasara tweeted that he had not approved this book during his tenure and accused Madan Dilawar of lying.
Why is the book in controversy?
This book has been written by former IAS officer Harsh Mander, who has been a collector in various districts of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and works in an NGO after retirement. In recent times, the CBI has also launched an investigation into them. In this book, Mander has narrated his experiences through people that the train attack in Godhra was a terrorist conspiracy and how Muslims were attacked after that. How they were tortured while living in relief camps. It has been claimed that many children remain missing, while followers of other religions have to live hiding their identities.
