The inclusion of Malabar Rebellion leaders Variamkunnath Kunhamed Haji and Ali Musliyar as freedom fighters in the Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle, published by the Union Ministry of Culture, will be reviewed by the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR).
The work, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi recently, has come as a huge embarrassment for the Sangh Parivar leaders who believe the duo led the Hindu genocide in Malabar region during the rebellion years. The Parivar organisations had also vociferously campaigned against the proposed cinema project with actor Prithviraj playing the role of Haji as they viewed it as an attempt to “whitewash” the rebel leader. As many as four cinema projects, including one by Parivar fellow-traveller Ali Akbar, were also announced on the rebellion and Haji.
No role in genocide
Incidentally, a letter written by Haji in The Hindu a century ago denying any role in killing Hindus in Malabar region was recently republished in these columns.
“The names of Variamkunnath Kunhamed Haji and Ali Musliar are there in the fifth volume of the book and they have not been removed from the collection. The soft copy and three dummy copies of the book were handed over to the Union Ministry of Culture, which funded the project,” confirmed Om Jee Upadhyay, Director (Research and Administration), ICHR.
The council has constituted a three-member committee to review the list after the controversies came to its notice. The committee has Raghuvendra Tanwar of Kurukshethra University, Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, and C.I. Isaac, Vice President of Bharatiya Vichara Kendra and former History Professor of CMS College, Kottayam, as its members. “A decision on the deletion of names will be taken only after the panel submits its report,” Dr. Upadhyay told The Hindu .
“Two scholars, including Mr. Isaac, who vetted the pre-press version of the fifth volume of the book, had suggested a few changes. Later, the book was published. The controversy surfaced as the Ministry published the soft copy in its website. No copies of the book were sold,” he said.
“We have not published the fifth volume following the controversy and is awaiting the report of the committee. If the committee gives it report to exclude some names, the ICHR will go for it when the book is published,” he added.
