“Cruel” Mughals to no Tipu Sultan: NCERT revises history textbooks, again

These changes have been made in the Class 8 Social Science textbooks

The textbook terms Babur a “cruel conqueror”, speaking about his conquests in Kabul and Delhi

Further, Akbar is called “tolerant” but also brutal

Aurangzeb was described as having destroyed temples in Banaras, Mathura, Somnath, and Jain temples and Sikh gurdwaras

The textbook also omitted the role of Tipu Sultan in the Indian freedom struggle entirely

In the meanwhile, the textbook has glowing descriptions of the Maratha empire, portraying Shivaji as a devout Hindu who rebuilt destroyed temples

The textbook added a disclaimer that these “dark chapters” in history must not be used for anything other than as a cautionary tale, and that nobody today must be held responsible for them