Parts Of Karnataka Class 6 Textbook To Be Scrapped For 'Hurting Brahmin Community's Sentiments'

Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar on Thursday, December 17, ordered the Commissioner for Public Instruction (CPI) to remove relevant paragraphs from the Class VI Social Science textbooks which are believed to be hurting the sentiments of the Brahmin community and insinuating remarks against them.

Kumar said that the paras which appear in page number 82 and 83 are not suitable for such a young age.

"The CPI must take steps to issue a circular to drop this lesson from the syllabus with immediate effect," the minister said on Thursday.

A delegation of the Karnataka State Brahmin Development Board had met Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa with an official representation on the issue.

The board demanded the removal of portions of a chapter which mentioned about food scarcity during the Vedic period (1500 BC to 600 BC) because of homa and havana (fire rituals) that involved offering foodgrains, milk and other materials.

The minister said that lesson number seven of the Class VI Social Science textbook titled 'Emergence of New Religions' states that Brahmins used to offer sacrifices like agricultural animals and offered milk and ghee to the fire god during 'havan', which led to food scarcity in the society at that time.

Quoting the textbook excerpts, Kumar stated that "Kashtraiyas are the ones who encouraged new religions like Jainism and Buddhism to flourish in the country."

"Such anomalies that have crept into the textbook need to be dropped as they hurt religious sentiments," he said in his note.

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