The inquiry committee set up to look into the incident where Jesus was described as a ‘haivaan’ (demon) in a Class IX Gujarat school board textbook, has said that the error was not rectified despite their efforts.
The committee, set up by the Gujarat State School Textbook Board (GSSTB), held the proofreader, writer, editor and the Ahmedabad-based printer responsible for the derogatory slip.
GSSTB Chairman Nitin Pethani slammed the proofreader for allowing such an error to go through. He told The Indian Express:
They are not on payrolls of the board but hired as and when required, a practice we have been following since long. The concerned proofreader has been working with the GSSTB for the last five to six years while the writer-editor since 2006.
The content of the book was reviewed by a 15-member team, who said that the word preceding Jesus was unclear and therefore, the editor and proofreader were directed to use the word ‘bhagwan’ to describe Jesus. The same issue was pointed out again after proofreading the first printed draft, The Indian Express reported, yet it was not corrected.
The board is not ruling out the possibility that the error was not fixed in deliberation.
Left embarrassed, officials of the GSSTB have rectified the blunder in the online version of the book available on their website and have removed the controversial word. Recalling the books was not a feasible option, the board claimed.
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