A history question in West Bengal’s Vidyasagar University exam paper sparked political controversy after it described Indian freedom fighters as ‘terrorists’. The question appeared in the sixth semester paper of the History Honours course. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shared an image of the paper and accused the university of disrespecting India’s revolutionary icons. The question asked: “Name three District Magistrates of Medinipur, who terrorists killed.” The listed individuals included Bimal Dasgupta, Jyoti Jiban Ghosh, Pradyot Bhattacharya, and Prabanshu Pal prominent freedom fighters during India’s independence movement.
Freedom Fighters are now Terrorists in West Bengal!!!
In Vidyasagar University History Honours (6th semester, Paper C14 – Modern Nationalism in India) exam included a shameful question branding legendary Indian revolutionaries as “terrorists.”
The question asks:
“Name three… pic.twitter.com/LlCcesjBVQ— BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) July 10, 2025
BJP Attacks Mamata Banerjee Over Exam Row
The BJP’s West Bengal unit accused the Mamata Banerjee government of vilifying Indian nationalism and deliberately distorting history. In a post on social media platform X, the BJP wrote, “Freedom Fighters are now Terrorists in West Bengal!!!” The party condemned the language used in the question and claimed that it equated revolutionaries with criminals. They referred to Bengal’s rich intellectual and nationalist history, calling the incident a grave insult to the state’s legacy and a deliberate attempt to poison young minds through academic material.
Vidyasagar University Responds to the Controversy
Vice Chancellor of Vidyasagar University, Dipak Kumar Kar, issued a clarification in response to the controversy. He stated that the description of freedom fighters as ‘terrorists’ resulted from a printing mistake. Kar told ANI, “A printing mistake occurred in the question paper of undergraduate history examination yesterday.” He said he immediately sought a report from the Controller of Examinations and the Chairperson of the Undergraduate Board of Studies in History. The mistake, according to the university, occurred during the moderation process and went undetected during proofreading.
University Initiates Action Against Responsible Officials
Following the incident, the university took disciplinary action. It replaced the faculty member involved in the moderation of the question paper and removed the Board of Studies chairman from their post. The administration said the error was unintentional but admitted that it should have been caught during the final checks. The university reiterated its commitment to upholding historical accuracy and academic integrity while assuring the public that it would prevent similar issues in the future.
Swastika Sruti is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX Digital with 5 years of experience shaping stories that matter. She loves tracking politics- national and global trends, and never misses a chance to dig deeper into policies and developments. Passionate about what’s happening around us, she brings sharp insight and clarity to every piece she works on. When not curating news, she’s busy exploring what’s next in the world of public interest. You can reach her at [swastika.newsx@gmail.com]
