JAMMU: The counter-intelligence unit in Jammu has arrested three publishers in connection with the ongoing investigation into a controversy surrounding certain books in J&K, according to some officials. This decision follows coordinated operations in both Jammu and Delhi.
The arrests are part of a broader investigation into the publication and distribution of books deemed to contain “highly inappropriate content.” Investigators are scrutinising the publishers’ roles in printing and distributing this material, officials stated.
The three publishers arrested include Inderpaul from Oberoi Book Service and Amardeep Singh and Girish Arora from the Noida-based Dominant Publishers. Previously, both Oberoi Book Service and Dominant Publishers had been blacklisted by the government. Counter-intelligence teams conducted raids on their premises on July 6.
Interestingly, no official from Samagra Siksha, who were responsible to selecting these books, deemed inappropriate and glorifying separatists and terrorists, have been arrested. However, eight officials, a couple of them from Samagra Siksha, and many from the School Education Department, have been suspended. The man responsible for the selection of these books and giving orders for them to different publishers is Fazil Imran Siddiqui, a former Principal who is presently working with Samagra Siksha.
On July 4, the counterintelligence unit registered an FIR under Sections 49 (abetment), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 152 (endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India), 196 (promoting enmity, disharmony) and 353 (publishing, or circulating false statements, rumours, or reports) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), besides Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. This action was taken after two books found in government libraries were reported to glorify separatist leaders.
The separatist leaders mentioned in these books included chief of hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference late SAS Geelani and jailed secessionists like Shabir Shah, Massarat Alam and Yasin Malik. On paper, there is a robust system of vetting of books purchased by Samagra Siksha. However, in reality, publishers often undercut one another offering commissions to officials involved in selection of their books.
A common practice used by some publishers is to keep the cover price of their books high and offer money under the table. This is a fairly successful method of pushing books into schools without scrutiny. Incidentally, most of these books remain confined to the shelves of locked almirahs in the libraries of the schools, with neither students nor teachers bothering to flip through them, a publisher who requested anonymity said.
The books in question that drew the attention of the police are titled ‘Personalities and Legends of J-K’, authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, and published by Jammu-based Oberoi Book Service. The second book, ‘Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir’, is authored by Sushant Giri and published by the Delhi-based Anurag Prakashan. Hilal Ahmad, the co-author of the first title, remains a mystery as his credentials are not yet clear.
Investigations are ongoing, and officials anticipate further arrests in the coming days, officials noted.
According to officials, 123 copies of one book were distributed to the Jammu, Ramban, and Udhampur districts, while 128 copies of the other book were sent to Jammu and Baramulla districts.
The controversy regarding these books has created a big upheaval in both Kashmir and Jammu regions with senior officials spending a lot of time chasing similar content in other books. All books of these publishers lying in the libraries are being identified at the level of schools with teachers and librarians keeping on their toes.
In some universities also, efforts are on to find out if such content is available online in their repositories or in physical form as books. The action was initiated after orders from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha over a week ago.
