How two ‘objectionable’ books trigger a crackdown on J&K’s varsity and college libraries | Explained
The Story So Far Two books published under the library grant of the central scheme, Samagra Shiksha, in Jammu and Kashmir were on July 7
The Story So Far 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. What is status of the books? The books evoked a sharp reaction in the Jammu province, especially from the BJP. In the face of public outcry, these books were withdrawn. Around 251 copies of these books were already circulated among the schools in J&K. The J&K administration said the introduction of these books was a result of “serious negligence, dereliction of duty and lack of proper due diligence”, and blamed the members of the Sub Committee, which approved it.
Eight officials, including coordinator library, academic officer and lecturers, were suspended. One person, who worked as a Computer Assistant, was disengaged with immediate effect from his contractual engagement. The authors and publishers were banned and blacklisted. Any printed material authored and published by them shall also be withdrawn from the Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, said officials. Why is case booked under UAPA? The J&K Police lodged a First Information Report (FIR) in Jammu and invoked sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The FIR followed the Lieutenant Governor’s order where it was underlined that such books, which contained content related to separatism, has “potential for creating law and order situations”. The J&K Police’s special cell, Counter Intelligence Jammu (CIJ) raided several locations in Jammu and Noida and questioned officials in-charge of the central scheme. However, no arrests have been made in the case. The police have also failed to trace credentials of one of the authors. Also Read | Book bans in Kashmir, talking to Isabel Allende, forgotten voices from Punjab and more What is fallout of the case? The J&K administration has come up with stringent rules for all educational institutes, including varsities and colleges, on selection of academic books.
The BriefWire