PMO orders universities to report anti-caste texts after anonymous X post labels them ‘poison’

An unnamed X account labeled anti-caste works by figures such as B.R. Ambedkar, Periyar EV Ramasamy, and the Phules as “poison”, prompting the Prime Minister’s Office to circulate an urgent email to higher-education institutions asking for comments and enrollment numbers for courses that include these texts. Faculty members at Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University expressed shock, arguing the PMO lacks expertise to set curricula and is using the post to indirectly control academic content.

The education ministry’s request has been criticized as political interference and an attempt to suppress Dalit-Bahujan scholarship. Student organisations, including the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association, condemned the move, urging intellectual debate instead of administrative scrutiny. Academics fear the directive will make teachers and courses visible to the state, discouraging enrollment and stifling critical discussion of caste and patriarchy.