‘Islamophobic’: DU's ‘Mother Tongue’ form gaffe draws criticism from profs

The University of Delhi (DU) has drawn sharp criticism from faculty and rights groups after its undergraduate admission form controversially listed ‘Muslim’ as a mother tongue, while omitting Urdu altogether.

Advertisement

The university has termed it an “inadvertent error”, but professors have alleged communal bias and demanded an immediate correction, public apology, and accountability.

In a post on social media platform X, DU said, “The University of Delhi sincerely regrets the inadvertent error in its admission form. We acknowledge your concerns and are committed to addressing them. However, attributing ulterior motives to this entirely unintentional oversight is unwarranted.”

Despite this clarification, several DU professors have called the form deeply problematic, alleging that it reflected a communal mindset and undermined constitutional values.

Miranda House Professor Abha Dev Habib termed the omission of Urdu and the inclusion of ‘Muslim’ as a language Islamophobic.

“Under ‘Mother Tongue’, the form omits Urdu entirely while listing ‘Muslim’ as a mother tongue. Is it beyond DU’s understanding that Muslims speak the same languages as others from their regions? This cannot be anything but Islamophobic,” she said in a Facebook post.

She pointed out that Urdu was listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, and said the university's error reflected “a profound dumbing down motivated by a communal mindset”.

Habib demanded that the mistake be condemned, corrected, and followed by a formal apology.

Kirori Mal College professor and DUTA executive member Rudrashish Chakraborty called the error part of a “larger pattern” and not a clerical oversight.

“By removing Urdu and replacing it with ‘Muslim’ as a mother tongue, the administration has effectively targeted a language and a culture. It’s a serious violation of academic standards and constitutional values,” he said.

Chakraborty also questioned the academic appropriateness of the form’s phrasing, arguing that “native language” would have been more suitable than “mother tongue”.

“The DU administration should take a refresher course in academic English before prescribing it for students,” he said.

Adding to the controversy, faculty members also flagged the form's requirement for reserved category applicants to disclose sub-castes like 'Mochi' and 'Dhobi'.

The move has been described as casteist and insensitive.

While DU has acknowledged the issue, it has yet to clarify what corrective measures are being implemented.