Anti-India Books Row: Jammu Court Sends Three Publishers To 10-Day Remand, Hunt On For Two Authors
Anti-India Books Row: Jammu Court Sends Three Publishers To 10-Day Remand, Hunt On For Two Authors Published By, Last Updated: July 13, 2026, 11:31 IST
Anti-India Books Row: Jammu Court Sends Three Publishers To 10-Day Remand, Hunt On For Two Authors Published By, Last Updated: July 13, 2026, 11:31 IST Counter Intelligence Jammu produced the three accused before the court through virtual proceedings after arresting them on Sunday. Academic Jihad: Jammu Court Sends Three Publishers To 10-Day Remand, | Image for representation A Jammu court on Monday sent three publishers arrested in connection with the alleged anti-India books controversy to 10 days’ remand, as the investigation into the distribution of the books to government school libraries gathered pace. Counter Intelligence Jammu produced the three accused before the court through virtual proceedings after arresting them on Sunday. The arrested individuals have been identified as Inderpaul Singh of Jammu-based Oberoi Book Service, Amardeep Singh of Noida-based Dominant Publishers, and Girish Arora, a content curator. According to officials, both Dominant Publishers and Oberoi Book Service had earlier been blacklisted by the Jammu and Kashmir government. Police are also searching for the authors Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, who remain absconding.
Books glorified separatists The case revolves around two books that allegedly glorified separatists and anti-national elements and were supplied to government school libraries before being withdrawn. According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, the three publishers were arrested on Sunday as part of the ongoing investigation, which officials said could lead to more arrests. One of the books under scrutiny is “Personalities and Legends of J&K", authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena. The second book is “Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir", written by Sushant Giri. The controversy surfaced after objections were raised over the content of the books. Officials suspended On July 4, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha suspended eight officials of the School Education Department, dismissed one contractual employee and ordered an inquiry into the matter. The action came after the BJP, Congress and other political parties objected to the books, alleging they contained “inappropriate content" despite being distributed under the Centre’s Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. According to officials, library grants received under the scheme led to the formation of sub-committees tasked with selecting books for government schools.
The committees shortlisted 463 titles. However, during subsequent scrutiny, concerns were raised over the content of the two books. By the time the issues were identified, officials said more than 100 copies of each book had already been distributed to government schools. Searches conducted in Jammu and Noida As part of the investigation, police conducted searches at the Samagra Shiksha office in Jammu and at the office of a publisher in Noida on July 6. Officials said the searches were aimed at determining how the two books reached school libraries despite concerns being flagged during the content scrutiny process. Investigators are examining the approval process followed for the books and the circumstances under which they were included among the titles selected for distribution. With the three publishers now in police remand and the search continuing for authors Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, the probe is expected to focus on identifying everyone involved in the selection, publication and distribution of the books to government schools.
The BriefWire