‘Fled fearing British govt’: Remark on Netaji in Kerala SCERT handbook sparks row; Corrected following protests

Thiruvananthapuram: A handbook prepared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) for teachers has sparked controversy over a factual error relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The issue arose in the Class 4 Environmental Studies teacher's handbook, which included a serious misrepresentation about the freedom fighter.

The original passage read, "Netaji, who was once the president of the Congress, later resigned from the post and formed a new party called Forward Bloc. Fearing the British government, he fled to Germany, and later formed the Indian National Army to fight against the British."

This claim that Netaji “fled fearing the British government” drew sharp criticism from teachers, organisations and political groups. Many approached the SCERT with formal complaints.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also protested, accusing the SCERT of insulting Netaji. They alleged a continued attempt to demean Bose through textbooks, referring to past instances where he was caricatured and misrepresented as being subservient to Japanese forces during the war.

Following the backlash, SCERT removed the phrase “fearing the British government” from the text and issued a revised version of the handbook.

SCERT director Dr R K Jayaprakash responded to the incident, stating, “The correction was made as soon as the error was brought to our notice. We have asked the authors of the textbook to provide an explanation.”