Overview

• Screenshots on June 20 showed DU’s UG admissions form listing “Muslim” as a mother tongue and omitting Urdu, which is recognised under India’s Eighth Schedule.
• DU described the mix-up as a clerical error, temporarily took down the admissions portal, reinstated Urdu in the dropdown and issued a public apology.
• Voices such as Abha Dev Habib and Mithuraaj Dhusiya condemned the mistake as evidence of communal bias and warned it undermined the university’s inclusive reputation.
• Faculty groups are demanding a full account of how the oversight occurred and measures to ensure transparency in future admissions.
• The episode also sparked debate over the use of “mother tongue” on official forms, with academics urging adoption of terms like “native language” for greater precision.