Akbar misrepresented in textbooks? JNU scholar takes on NCERT over jizya claim

In a television debate, JNU historian Dr Ruchika Sharma criticised NCERT’s revised history textbooks for allegedly misrepresenting Mughal emperor Akbar’s abolition of the jizya tax. She stated that Akbar removed the tax in 1562, prior to consolidating his empire, and challenged claims that jizya was used to coerce religious conversions. Sharma announced plans to file an RTI seeking sources used in the textbooks, and her remarks also drew political response over comments on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.