Punjab Bans 3 Books for 'Distorting Facts' on Sikh History, CM Mann Orders Probe

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/ Bhagwant Mann)

The Punjab government banned three class 12 history books for allegedly distorting facts regarding Sikh history, the state's education minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said on Sunday, 1 May. He also added that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had ordered action to be taken against the authors and publishers of the books.

"Sikh history is invaluable to all of us and to future generations. Misrepresented facts about Sikh history were presented in 12th class 'History Of Punjab' book. Issued action orders against the guilty authors / publishers on the direction of CM Bhagwant Mann and prohibited the use of books," Hayer said in a tweet, which was also retweeted by the CM.

The banned books include Modern ABC of History of Punjab, written by Manjit Singh Sodhi; History of Punjab, by Mahinderpal Kaur; and History of Punjab by MS Mann, according to PTI.

Books Banned After Committee's Report

The books had been published by three separate publishers based in Jalandhar.

Hayer further added that the main objective of the government was to educate students and make them aware of the history of gurus and saints in the Sikh culture.

The decision to ban the books was taken after a report submitted by an inquiry committee, which was formed after a complaint by farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa, who claimed that the books included sentences regarding Sikh history, which were not accurate.

The school education department also accepted the report of the committee and decided to ban the books for sale, and to ensure that they are not taught in the state's schools.

The Punjab government's order was also conveyed to the director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and district education officers for implementation with immediate effect, an official was reported as saying by PTI.

Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) chairperson Yograj Singh said that follow-up action was directed by the government to fix responsibility of the officials who were responsible for the books being notified by the board.

Several organisations had earlier staged protests outside the PSEB office, demanding the books to be banned by the government.

(With inputs from PTI.)