STEPPING UP their ongoing agitation, members of the saffron brigade tried to set ablaze the IGNOU centre at Commerce Faculty in DDU Gorakhpur University here.
They were protesting against objectionable material regarding deities of a particular community, included in the syllabus of MA History run by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Policemen along with senior authorities rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire.
According to reports, around two dozen agitated youths threw petrol in the office through a window and set ablaze important papers at 5 pm on Friday.
Incharge of the centre Sanjay Baijal and vice-chancellor Prof Arun Kumar rushed to the spot and got the locks broken to extinguish the fire.
No FIR was lodged against any miscreant but security at the centre has been beefed up. Resentment is brewing among the students of a particular community over the objectionable text in the history books and the picture of Hindu deities. They have launched a movement which assumed a serious dimension on Friday.
Meanwhile, members of the Gorakhpur Goods Transport Association burnt the effigy of Union Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh at Transport Nagar crossing to express their anger over the objectionable text regarding Goddess Durga and other Hindu deities in the history book prescribed for the MA classes in IGNOU.
IGNOU Centre coordinator,. Dr Sanjay Baijal said that the centre had received a Press release from CPRO of IGNOU Ravi Mohan on Friday evening in which he learnt that objectionable statement had been made in one of the lessons of the MA History course ‘Religious thought and beliefs In India’, being run by IGNOU.
{{/usCountry}}IGNOU Centre coordinator,. Dr Sanjay Baijal said that the centre had received a Press release from CPRO of IGNOU Ravi Mohan on Friday evening in which he learnt that objectionable statement had been made in one of the lessons of the MA History course ‘Religious thought and beliefs In India’, being run by IGNOU.
{{/usCountry}}The faculty had reviewed the aspect and declared to delete the offending statement.
The release added that it was an error and not aimed to hurt the religious sentiments of anyone or degrade the deities.