BJP Slams TMC Over ‘Militants’ Tag for Freedom Fighters

GG News Bureau
Paschim Medinipur, 11th July: Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has strongly criticised the Trinamool Congress government after a question paper from Vidyasagar University in Paschim Medinipur referred to Indian freedom fighters as “militants”.

Raising the issue on social media, the BJP MLA alleged, “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.”

Images of the controversial question paper shared by Mr Adhikari show a question in Bengali asking students to name three district magistrates of Medinipur who were killed by “militants.” He pointed out that the question directly referenced British officials like Burge (1933), Peddie (1931), and Douglas (1932), who were assassinated by prominent Indian revolutionaries including Bimal Dasgupta, Jyotijiban Ghosh, Anathbandhu Panja, and others.

Adhikari further alleged that this is not the first time such terminology has been used. “A similar question was asked in 2023,” he claimed, accusing the state of repeatedly allowing disrespectful language about freedom fighters in academic settings.

Responding to the controversy, Vidyasagar University Vice Chancellor Prof. Dipak Kumar Kaur termed the use of the word “militants” a typographical error. “We are not taking this lightly, especially because it concerns freedom fighters from our own district,” he said. The exam in question, part of the ‘Modern Nationalism and India’ paper, was conducted on July 9.

The university has initiated an internal inquiry, with the Vice Chancellor seeking an explanation from both the Controller of Examinations and the Chairperson of the Undergraduate Board of Studies in History.