Karnataka dissolves textbook review committee, agrees to revisit chapter on Basavanna

Bengaluru: Karnataka state government has announced the dissolution of the state textbook review committee. The move comes amid a controversy over textbook revisions.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said that the committee has been disbanded since its designated work had concluded. Bommai emphasized that the government is open to further revision in case of any objectionable content.

Several seers and prominent personalities had objected to a move by the state government to revise a chapter on the 12th-century reformist Basavanna.

Notably, a section of seers alleged that social reformer Basavanna's teachings have been distorted in the revised Kannada and social science textbooks for Class X students. The seers also accused the review committee of insulting poet Kuvempu's state anthem.

The state government issued a clarification that the distorted state anthem was not part of any textbook. The government ordered the cyber crime department to look into the allegations and take necessary actions in this regard.

Bommai also informed that a chapter on Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bengaluru has been newly added to the textbook.

A controversy surfaced last month over alleged erroneous revision in the textbooks in the state curricula. There were demands for the sacking of review committee chief Rohith Chakratirtha.

The committee headed by Chakrathirtha was set up to examine and revise the school textbooks. (ANI)