A late-night directive asking all schools in Rajasthan to mark December 6, the day the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, as “Shaurya Diwas” triggered backlash and a recall on Sunday.
The withdrawal, however, opened a new front: conflicting statements from senior officials over who issued the order in the first place.
The School Education Department cited “unavoidable circumstances” while withdrawing the circular that had appeared on an official WhatsApp group on Saturday night.
School education minister Madan Dilawar said the programmes could not go ahead because schools are in the middle of examinations.
“Since examinations are in progress in all schools, it is not possible to hold any other activities or events on campus. Therefore, the Shaurya Diwas programmes stand postponed,” he said.
On the other hand, director of Secondary Board Education Sitaram Jat denied any involvement in the order’s circulation. “No such directions have been issued to the schools. I don't know how it is being circulated,” he told PTI.
He added that a similar order had gone viral earlier as well. “Earlier also an order circulated on social media in the same matter, and was dismissed by the department on November 5.”
The recalled directive, attributed to the Secondary Education Directorate in Bikaner, asked government and private schools to conduct cultural programmes aimed at patriotism.
It proposed essay competitions on themes such as Indian cultural pride, traditions of valour, sacrifice, and the role of youth in nation-building.
Schools were also asked to organise painting contests on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir and Indian warriors, alongside exhibitions on the Ram temple.
“This government wants to teach children about the day of the Babri Masjid's demolition as a day of bravery. By doing so, they will only serve to destroy the religious atmosphere,” Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra said.
Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi called the demolition of the Babri Masjid “an act of crime” and accused the BJP government of “distorting historical events and attempting to burden schoolchildren with its political narrative.”
“Ours is a secular nation,” said Mohammed Nazimuddin, general secretary of the Rajasthan Muslim Forum. “How can the government compel students to commemorate the demolition of a mosque,” he wondered.