Banning books raises wider questions about democracy: Omar Abdullah
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticized the withdrawal of thousands of books from college libraries, questioning the impact on democratic values. The government claims the process is a regular screening of objectionable material.
Why it matters
The incident highlights tensions between administrative censorship and academic freedom in India's educational institutions.
A day after the Jammu and Kashmir government told the Legislative Assembly that it had withdrawn 4,767 “objectionable” books from J&K college libraries, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) said banning books raised wider questions about democracy and that the elected government did not get to decide on such matters.
The J&K government on Tuesday (September 22) informed the Legislative Assembly that 21.81 lakh books were screened in college libraries since July. It said the Higher Education Department had withdrawn 4,767 books, including 518 banned books and 4,249 non-banned books, from the colleges. At least 1,752 books had been referred to the Director, Colleges, for expert examination, the government said.
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