PMO inquiry prompts review of Ambedkarite university readings

India’s Higher Education Department has asked central universities to comment on courses and enrolment after the Prime Minister’s Office raised an issue prompted by an anonymous social-media post. The post described works by B.R. Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule, Gail Omvedt, Braj Ranjan Mani and Sharmila Rege as “poison”.

An urgent communication sent to central universities on September 27 sought their comments and details of enrolment in the courses mentioned. The post listed 35 works and criticised readings on caste, patriarchy and the history of Brahmanism. It also mentioned the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The works cited are used as recommended readings at institutions including Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Central University of Punjab, Delhi University and Asutosh College. Writer and academic Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd questioned the reported intervention. He said removing or reviewing works by Phule and Ambedkar would affect debates involving caste and social equality, and argued that university syllabuses should be handled by the Higher Education Department or University Grants Commission.

The report noted that several authors named in the post do not describe themselves as left-leaning and have criticised traditional Indian left politics from caste or gender perspectives. The supplied material does not say whether any university has removed a book or changed a course. It records only the department’s request for comments and enrolment information following the PMO communication.