How two ‘objectionable’ books trigger a crackdown on J&K’s varsity and college libraries | Explained
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has launched a crackdown after two library books were found to contain separatist content and anti-India terminology. Officials have been suspended, and the books have been withdrawn, with police invoking the UAPA against the publishers.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the ongoing sensitivity regarding educational materials and political narratives in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
Two books published under the library grant of the central scheme, Samagra Shiksha, in Jammu and Kashmir were on July 7 identified as ones that contained “inappropriate” and “objectionable” contents . One of them is “Personalities and Legends of J&K”, authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh
Meena and published by Oberoi Book Service, Jammu. Another is “Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir”, authored by Sushant Giri and published by Anurag Prakashan, Delhi. In one of the books, separatist leaders like Tehreek-e-Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmad Shah, Muslim League Jammu Kashmir chief Masarat Alam and J&K Liberation Front founder Maqbool Bhat are profiled. The book refers to J&K as “India Occupied”, “India held” and “India administered” and praises the separatist leaders for their role in Kashmir’s history.
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