J&K book crackdown: 4,249 withdrawn from libraries for 'objectionable, anti-national' content after 21.8 lakh screened
SRINAGAR: Over the past two months, the Jammu and Kashmir government has scanned 2,181,582 books in libraries across the Union territory in large scale crackdown on books with “objectionable content” and removed over 4,249 books from circulation, education minister Sakina Itoo told the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in a written response.
Of the 4,249 books withdrawn from circulation, 253 were from Jammu and 3,996 from Kashmir.
The government has also referred 1,752 books of different titles for expert examination by the director of colleges.
Of these, 538 are from Jammu and 1,214 from the Kashmir Valley. Of the 518 banned books removed, 40 were from Jammu and 478 from the Kashmir Valley.
The minister’s reply came to a question Awami Ittihad Party (AIP) legislative member Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh. Sheikh said that the government is allegedly removing all books having the title Kashmir.
“I have heard that anything related to the Kashmir issue or Kashmir is being removed from libraries of the universities and colleges. Even books by great writers on Kashmir are being removed. This needs a debate in the House. Do they want a bookless society in Kashmir,” he said.
“We must be told what books are removed from circulation and why so. The government must come out with the name of all these books which have been removed," he added.
“We want to also convey to the central government what it is doing in Kashmir. Why is Kashmir related literature being kept away from the people,” he said.
He accused Omar Abdullah government of facilitating the process of scanning books and allowing what he called the “large scale crackdown on books and Kashmir literature .”
He said the chief minister had promised restoration of special status to J&K in his election rallies. “But now he is extending the BJP agenda in the region,” he alleged.
In her response the minister said, “clear and objective criteria have been adopted for identifying objectionable material for scrutiny of books available in colleges.”
She also said scrutiny of objectionable books to be withdrawn is under process is laborious exercise and may take more time.
The minister argued that the reason for initiation such action is that the higher education institutions constitute centres of higher learning, research, academic excellence and are expected to foster an environment that upholds constitutional values, academic freedom, critical thinking, scientific temper, responsible citizenship and respect for the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
In July this year the education department and the universities issued separate orders to all heads of departments to conduct a comprehensive screening of all books available, whether recently acquired or older publications, in their “offices, classrooms, staff rooms, school library.”
The order was issued after LG Manoj Sinha's administration on July 4 withdrew two books "Personalities and Legends of J&K" by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, published by Jammu based Oberoi Book Service, and "Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir" by Sushant Giri, published by New Delhi-based Anurag Prakashan after describing their content "highly inappropriate content.”
"Personalities and Legends" used terms such as "India-occupied Kashmir"' and described banned JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat as "Shaheed-e- Azam.”
Last year the home department on August 5 on the sixth anniversary of abrogation of Article 370, banned the publication and circulation of 25 books on Kashmir, saying they promote a “false narrative” and “secessionism” in the Union Territory.
The books include Azadi by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, Kashmir: The Case for Freedom by Tariq Ali, Pankaj Mishra; Confronting Terrorism, edited by Maroof Raza and written by Stephen P. Cohen and In Search of a Future by journalist and author David Devdas.
Of the 4,249 books withdrawn from circulation, 253 were from Jammu and 3,996 from Kashmir.
The government has also referred 1,752 books of different titles for expert examination by the director of colleges.
Of these, 538 are from Jammu and 1,214 from the Kashmir Valley. Of the 518 banned books removed, 40 were from Jammu and 478 from the Kashmir Valley.
The minister’s reply came to a question Awami Ittihad Party (AIP) legislative member Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh. Sheikh said that the government is allegedly removing all books having the title Kashmir.
“I have heard that anything related to the Kashmir issue or Kashmir is being removed from libraries of the universities and colleges. Even books by great writers on Kashmir are being removed. This needs a debate in the House. Do they want a bookless society in Kashmir,” he said.
“We must be told what books are removed from circulation and why so. The government must come out with the name of all these books which have been removed," he added.
“We want to also convey to the central government what it is doing in Kashmir. Why is Kashmir related literature being kept away from the people,” he said.
He accused Omar Abdullah government of facilitating the process of scanning books and allowing what he called the “large scale crackdown on books and Kashmir literature .”
He said the chief minister had promised restoration of special status to J&K in his election rallies. “But now he is extending the BJP agenda in the region,” he alleged.
In her response the minister said, “clear and objective criteria have been adopted for identifying objectionable material for scrutiny of books available in colleges.”
She also said scrutiny of objectionable books to be withdrawn is under process is laborious exercise and may take more time.
The minister argued that the reason for initiation such action is that the higher education institutions constitute centres of higher learning, research, academic excellence and are expected to foster an environment that upholds constitutional values, academic freedom, critical thinking, scientific temper, responsible citizenship and respect for the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
In July this year the education department and the universities issued separate orders to all heads of departments to conduct a comprehensive screening of all books available, whether recently acquired or older publications, in their “offices, classrooms, staff rooms, school library.”
The order was issued after LG Manoj Sinha's administration on July 4 withdrew two books "Personalities and Legends of J&K" by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, published by Jammu based Oberoi Book Service, and "Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir" by Sushant Giri, published by New Delhi-based Anurag Prakashan after describing their content "highly inappropriate content.”
"Personalities and Legends" used terms such as "India-occupied Kashmir"' and described banned JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat as "Shaheed-e- Azam.”
Last year the home department on August 5 on the sixth anniversary of abrogation of Article 370, banned the publication and circulation of 25 books on Kashmir, saying they promote a “false narrative” and “secessionism” in the Union Territory.
The books include Azadi by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, Kashmir: The Case for Freedom by Tariq Ali, Pankaj Mishra; Confronting Terrorism, edited by Maroof Raza and written by Stephen P. Cohen and In Search of a Future by journalist and author David Devdas.
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