J&K Lieutenant Governor Orders Scrutiny of University Websites After Book on Separatist Leaders Surfaces in Schools

The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, on Tuesday directed authorities to examine the websites and digital repositories of universities and higher educational institutions to remove any material deemed anti-national or separatist. The order follows the discovery of a book titled 'Great Personalities and Legends of J&K' in schools, which profiles Kashmir separatist leaders such as Maqbool Bhat, Masarat Alam, Shabir Shah, and Syed Ali Geelani.

The book was circulated under the central government's Samagra Shiksha scheme. Sinha, chairing a meeting of senior officials from educational institutions, warned of serious legal action against those responsible for procuring, approving, or circulating the literature. A spokesperson from the Raj Bhavan confirmed that the Lieutenant Governor was briefed on the recovery of books that 'glorify separatism'.

Sinha called for a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) to govern the procurement of books and academic material across schools, colleges, and universities. The SoP should include a robust screening mechanism with periodic random scrutiny by a panel of eminent educationists, intellectuals, and senior officers to prevent any material promoting anti-national or separatist narratives from entering educational institutions.

'Such incidents must not recur,' Sinha said, adding that heads of institutions would be held personally responsible for any lapses. He emphasised that educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir must remain centres of learning, nation-building, and constitutional values, with zero tolerance for any attempt to mislead or radicalise students through objectionable literature.

Approximately 251 copies of the book, authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, were distributed in schools. Following protests by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Police Station Counter Intelligence Jammu. Raids have been conducted at multiple locations in Jammu and Noida, including offices of individuals involved in the book's publication. The administration has already suspended eight officers and blacklisted the two authors and publishers.