Muslim listed under 'Language' in DU admission form triggers protest, varsity says ‘clerical error’
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New Delhi: Delhi University on Saturday expressed ‘regret’ following backlash over listing of ‘Muslim’ as a 'mother tongue' in the undergraduate admission form, clarifying that it was a ‘clerical error’.
The university was also under scrutiny for reportedly having omitted Urdu from the form, leading to widespread protest from academics and civil society.
Responding to the criticism, the university 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. We request all not to vitiate the University's diverse and harmonious environment.’
The screenshots of the application portal showing ‘Muslim’ in the list of languages under the 'mother tongue' section with Urdu missing began circulating, triggering criticism.
The admission portal was briefly taken down before restored later with officials saying the form was corrected and Urdu reinstated.
However DU has not yet released a detailed explanation on how the error occurred.
The incident led to several teachers’ outfits calling it as more than just a technical oversight.
Abha Dev Habib, former member of DU's Executive Council, said that it was not an ‘innocent mistake’, adding ‘The error reflects deep-seated biases -- conflating religion with language is not just ignorant, it's communal’.
Dr Mithuraaj Dhusiya, a member of DU's Executive Council, said ‘Mistakes like these damage the university's inclusive image. Urdu is not just a language -- it is an essential part of India's cultural and literary legacy’.
Rudrashish Chakraborty, a professor at Kirori Mal College called ‘ the portrayal of Muslim’ as a language ‘a worrying attempt to misrepresent India's largest minority community. Urdu is a secular language spoken by people of all faiths’.
A professor from DU's English department said that the use of the term ‘mother tongue’ is colloquial, explaining that it should have been instead ‘ native language’ or 'first language’.
