New NCERT Textbook Omits Chapters on European Revolutions, Prioritises 'Impact of Foreign Invasions' on India
30 September 2026 | The Wire
New Delhi: Several chapters on European revolutions have been removed from the new edition of the social science textbook for class 9 students and has instead prioritises the medieval history of India, regional resistance movements and the impact of foreign invasions, reported The Hindu.
The new textbook which was released on Tuesday (September 29) is titled Understanding Society: India and Beyond – Part Two. It replaces the previous edition’s chapters on European revolutions, including the French and Russian revolutions, with a detailed exploration of Indian sovereignty and resilience.The new textbook goes on to say that starting from the 7th century onwards, the Indian subcontinent faced successive phases of invasions driven by “territorial expansion and religious motives”.
It adds that India’s historic wealth was the primary catalyst for these incursions and that foreign forces made India their prime target owing to the surplus agrarian produce generated by the fertile plains of India’s perennial river systems.
The textbook also talks about “the brutality of the Mughal state” against Sikh Gurus and as examples cites the execution of Guru Arjan Dev, detention of his son Guru Hargobind under Mughal emperor Jahangir and the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur under emperor Aurangzeb, reported The Hindu.