Bengal varsity faces backlash over ‘terrorist’ reference to freedom fighters in exam paper

Kolkata: A controversy erupted in West Bengal after a history question paper at the state-run Vidyasagar University described Indian revolutionaries as "terrorists," triggering strong political reactions and forcing the institute to issue a public apology, calling it a "printing mistake."

The contentious reference appeared in question 12 of the sixth semester BA Honours history exam (in Bengali), which asked students to name three district magistrates of Midnapore "killed by terrorists" during British rule. The university later acknowledged the error, attributing it to a proofreading lapse.

"It was a printing mistake that went unnoticed during proofreading," Vice Chancellor Dipak Kar said on Friday.

"Once the paper was circulated, there was no time to make corrections. I have asked the controller of examinations to submit a detailed report," he added.

The three slain magistrates referred were James Peddie, Robert Douglas and Bernard Berge, who were gunned down in a span of three years for their tyranny in Midnapore.

Academic Pabitra Sarkar condemned the error, saying, "It is unthinkable in independent India to refer to youths who fought British oppression as 'terrorists '— a term used by the colonial rulers."

Leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari in a post on X described the terrorist reference as "absolutely outrageous."

"The administrative authorities of Vidyasagar University have once again insulted our revered freedom fighters by labeling the brave revolutionaries of Medinipur as 'militants' and 'terrorists' in the 2025 History Honours sixth semester question paper," he said.

"This is not an isolated mistake but a deliberate distortion of our history, repeating the same disgraceful error from 2023 under the watch of Dr. Nirmal Kumar Mahato, Head of the History Department and a known TMC affiliate in WBCUPA (West Bengal College and University Professors Association); TMC’s political organisation comprising professors," Adhikari added.

"Shockingly, no action has been taken against Dr. Mahato despite his repeated oversight failures. Worse still, his stature has risen, he was promoted to Joint Secretary of WBCUPA after the 2023 blunder. For the unversed; the tyrannical British District Magistrates; Burge (1933), Peddie (1931), and Douglas (1932) were targeted by Indian freedom fighters. Peddie was killed by Bimal Dasgupta and Jyotijiban Ghosh," the BJP leader posted.

The BJP leader questioned whether the elevation of Mahato an endorsement of TMC's belief that "our freedom fighters were militants and terrorists."

"Is this political elevation of Dr. Nirmal Kumar Mahato, an endorsement of TMC's belief that our freedom fighters were militants and terrorists? The Vice Chancellor's refusal to act only deepens the suspicion of political protectionism. This is a blow to every Indian who honours our independence struggle. I demand immediate accountability, the removal of Dr. Mahato, and a thorough investigation into this institutional failure. Will TMC clarify if they stand by this shameful narrative?," he said.

Mahato could not be contacted for his comments, while university sources described Adhikari's remarks as "unfortunate."

TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh distanced the party from the controversy, saying, "The questions were set by a few persons, not the education department. It needs to be investigated who approved the question paper." CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty and Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also condemned the terminology, calling it "unthinkable and unimaginable in independent India" and held the TMC government accountable for allowing such a lapse under its watch.

Causing further embarrassment to the varsity, the BA Honours Political Science exam was cancelled on Friday after it was discovered that the question paper was "out of syllabus."

University authorities said fresh tests would be conducted next week.