Author Dilip Mandal ignited a significant controversy on Thursday, January 9, after he claimed that Fatima Sheikh, widely celebrated as one of India’s first Muslim educators, is a fictional character he fabricated.
In a series of tweets, Mandal claimed that Sheikh, a colleague of social reformer and the first female teacher in India Savitribai Phule, is a “fictional character” who had been propped up by him in the past.
He wrote, “Forgive me. Fatima Sheikh was not a character. She is not a historical character. She is my creation. My work. It is my crime or mistake that I created this name out of nothing, out of thin air, at a particular time.”
In another post, Mandal further claimed there was no reference to Fatima Sheikh in any article, book or Google search before he created the character. “My fabrication had initially gained traction due to efforts to promote her as a symbol of empowerment,” he said.
Mandal had written about Fatima Sheikh in July 2019 for an article published in The Print titled “Why Has History Forgotten Fatima Sheikh?”. In the article, the author portrayed Sheikh as a great influencer and educator who marched along with social reformists Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule.
However, following Mandal’s recent statement, The Print has reportedly taken down the article and announced an investigation. The publication wrote “The Print has taken note of Dilip Mandal’s post on X claiming that he created a “historical” personality named Fatima Sheikh. We are withdrawing this article as we investigate this matter”.
Mandal’s claims have ignited strong reactions from approval to rejection. Critics argue that Mandal’s action brings discredit to history and journalism as a profession.
However, some people have sought to contextualize Mandal’s motivations. Many of his supporters believe that his creation of Fatima Sheikh was to challenge the historical marginalization of Muslim women in general and has gone wrong.
Mandal claims come at a time when he has held a position of public office as a media advisor for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting since August 2024.
Earlier, Mandal used to be a vocal warrior for social justice, caste and representation in mainstream media in India. He was a bitter critique of Hindutva politics. However, after he was appointed a media advisor, he turned into a Hindutva flagbearer sugar-quoted with SC and OBC politics.
