After a public outcry over the alleged glorification of terrorists and anti-national elements, the Jammu and Kashmir government, on Saturday, awoke from its deep slumber and banned two highly controversial books titled “Personalities and Legends of J&K” and “Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir”.
The government also suspended eight officials of the School Education Department over the procurement and approval of the books, which contained highly inappropriate and separatist-related content for government school libraries, and ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter.
Ironically, the books, in which convicted terrorist Maqbool Bhat was referred to with the honorific title “Shaheed”, were procured using public funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme of the Jammu and Kashmir government.
The books, approved by an expert committee comprising senior officials of the Education Department, also glorified separatist and anti-India leaders, including Masarat Alam, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, by portraying them as “Great Personalities” and “Legends” of Jammu and Kashmir.
After the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Forum (JKPF) raised the issue on Friday, highlighting the circulation of the controversial books, the government on Saturday ordered their immediate withdrawal from school libraries and initiated action against all those responsible for their approval, procurement and circulation.
The controversy erupted after the JKPF alleged that the books supplied to government school libraries under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme glorified separatist leaders and terrorists by portraying them as “great personalities” and “legends” of Jammu and Kashmir.
The issue gained further momentum after Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Sunil Sharma, raised the matter at a press conference earlier in the day. He alleged that the books promoted an anti-national narrative and demanded their immediate withdrawal, a high-level probe into the entire episode, action against those responsible, and the dismissal of the education minister.
The commissioner secretary to the government, School Education Department, Ram Niwas Sharma, confirmed that the books had been withdrawn from all schools with immediate effect.
“The books have been withdrawn. Action is being taken against all concerned,” Sharma said.
He said all copies had been recalled from schools and that proceedings had been initiated against those involved in their publication, approval, procurement and distribution.
Sharma further said the controversial book titled “Great Personalities and Legends” had been supplied to schools in June 2026 and was withdrawn on July 3, 2026.
The government’s decision came amid widespread criticism over the inclusion of the books in school libraries, with opposition parties and several organisations alleging that they contained objectionable and anti-national content.
Eight Officials Suspended, Inquiry Ordered
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday suspended eight officials of the School Education Department over the procurement and approval of two books containing “highly inappropriate” and “separatism-related” content for government school libraries.
In an official order, the department said the action was taken after it found serious negligence and a lack of due diligence in the selection and recommendation of the books, which were recently withdrawn from schools across the Union Territory.
The order said the books—”Personalities and Legends of J&K” by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, published by Oberoi Book Service, Jammu, and “Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir” by Sushant Giri, published by Anurag Prakashan, Delhi—were selected under the Samagra Shiksha library scheme.
According to the government, 123 copies of “Personalities and Legends of J&K” were supplied to schools in Jammu, Ramban and Udhampur districts, while 128 copies of “Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir” were distributed to schools in Jammu and Baramulla districts before both books were withdrawn.
The department said the books contained separatism-related content with the potential to create law-and-order problems and held members of the Series-IV Expert Sub-Committee and supervisory officers responsible for the lapses.
The suspended officials are Coordinator Library Fazil Imran Saddiqui; Assistant Coordinator Gurjeet Singh; Government Higher Secondary School Kore Pannu Principal Sanjeev Sharma; SCERT Jammu Academic Officer Shazia Kouser; Lecturer Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir; Lecturer Niranjan Sharma; Lecturer Renu Mengi; and Lecturer Rajmohini.
The government also disengaged contractual computer assistant Sheikh Suheel Ahmad, who had been assisting the coordinator library, with immediate effect.
It appointed Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary), Power Development Department, Ashwani Kumar, as the inquiry officer to investigate the matter, while Additional Secretary, General Administration Department, Rohit Sharma, was appointed as the presenting officer. The inquiry officer has been directed to submit the report within 30 days.
The order further stated that the authors and publishers of both books had been banned and blacklisted in the Union Territory and directed that all printed material authored or published by them be withdrawn from Jammu and Kashmir.
Terrorists, Separatist Leaders Glorified in Books
Convicted terrorist Maqbool Bhat was described with the honorific title “Shaheed”, with an entire chapter dedicated to him under the heading “Shaheed Maqbool Bhat.” Bhat was convicted in connection with the murder of Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre and a CID Inspector. A convicted terrorist and murderer cannot ordinarily be regarded as one of the “great personalities” of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ironically, the book itself records that the Supreme Court of India restored his death sentence and that he was hanged for murder and acts of terrorism. It notes that the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty in 1978 and that Bhat was executed on February 11, 1984.
The book further advocates what it describes as an armed revolution against India.
This is not an isolated instance. The terms “Indian-occupied Kashmir” (IOK) and “Indian-held Kashmir” (IHK)—expressions commonly used by Pakistan to describe Jammu and Kashmir—appear repeatedly in the text as the author’s own terminology.
The book also refers to National Liberation Front (NLF) members crossing into “Indian-occupied Kashmir” and recruiting “Kashmiris in the IOK” in the author’s own narrative.
The officially recognised constitutional term is Jammu and Kashmir. The use of expressions such as “IOK” and “IHK” reflects terminology associated with Pakistan’s position on the region and has been widely criticised in India for implying that India’s administration of Jammu and Kashmir lacks legitimacy.
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