Bangladesh revises school textbooks: Mujibur Rahman's legacy trimmed; India’s role in 1971 war curtailed

While India’s contribution to Bangladesh’s independence remains acknowledged, some key elements have been revised.

Bangladesh’s National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has made some significant changes to school textbooks for the 2025 academic year, reshaping how the country’s history is told. The revisions follow the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 and reflect the interim government’s efforts to alter the national narrative, The Indian Express reported.

Pakistan’s Gen. Niazi signs the surrender document as chief of India’s Eastern command Gen. Aurora looks on surrounded by other commanders in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 16, 1971. (AP)

India’s role in Liberation War trimmed

While India’s contribution to Bangladesh’s independence remains acknowledged, some key elements have been revised. Two historic photographs featuring Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founding President and Sheikh Hasina’s father, with then-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi have been removed. These included images of their joint address at a Kolkata rally on February 6, 1972, and another of Gandhi being welcomed in Dhaka on March 17, 1972, the newspaper reported.

However, the role of the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini in the 1971 war remains intact, including the depiction of Pakistan’s surrender on December 16, 1971, according to The Indian Express.

Sheikh Hasina, Mujibur Rahman’s roles minimised

One of the most striking changes is the complete removal of Sheikh Hasina from all textbooks. Her customary message to students, previously printed on the back cover, has been replaced with graffiti images from the July 2024 uprising that led to her downfall, the IE report added.

Also, content related to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been reduced or rewritten. Chapters that once highlighted his leadership in the Liberation War have either been removed or rewritten to include other political figures from the independence movement.

Shift in historical perspective

A team of 57 experts commissioned by the Bangladesh education ministry oversaw these revisions, affecting 441 textbooks for primary, secondary, and higher secondary students. More than 40 crore new books have been printed for the current academic year.

NCTB chairperson AKM Reazul Hassan told The Indian Express that these revisions align with the 2012 curriculum framework, nullifying the previous 2022-2023 textbooks.

One key correction made in the new editions addresses which country first recognized Bangladesh’s independence. Earlier books credited India, but the revised version states that Bhutan was the first to do so on December 3, 1971. Hassan indicated that more factual changes could follow in future editions.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Hassan acknowledged that old textbooks contained an image of Mujibur Rahman with Indira Gandhi. “Since all old books from 2023-24 have been nullified, it is no longer there. However, the role of India during the Liberation War and that of the Mitro Bahini (an alliance of the Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini) have been kept intact,” he said.

Hasina government accused of politicising courts

Hasina’s administration has been accused of using the judiciary and civil service to maintain its grip on power and of staging unfair elections to dismantle democratic checks and balances.

The current caretaker government, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, has launched commissions to oversee sweeping reforms. He has indicated that elections will be scheduled once political parties reach a consensus, with a tentative timeline of late 2025 or early 2026.

Meanwhile, Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister and leader of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), has urged citizens to unite against what she described as a deteriorating law-and-order situation.

“Friends and allies of the fascists are hatching conspiracies to undermine the achievements of the mass uprising,” Zia said. “We must foil these conspiracies through unwavering unity among ourselves and with the people of Bangladesh.”

Sheikh Hasina, currently in self-imposed exile in India, has defied an arrest warrant issued by Dhaka. The charges against her include crimes against humanity.

With Hasina out of the picture, the BNP is widely expected to dominate the next elections.