Srinagar, July 9 -- The Jammu and Kashmir administration has directed all government schools, recognised private schools and coaching centres across the Kashmir division to screen every book on their premises for "inappropriate or objectionable content", following concerns over the circulation of literature allegedly containing anti-national and separatist material in educational institutions.
Under a circular issued by the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK), heads of institutions have been asked to examine all books, whether newly acquired or older publications, kept in school libraries, classrooms, staff rooms and offices. The exercise is intended to ensure that no publication contains material that violates religious sentiments, is unsuitable for students, contravenes prevailing laws, harms national interest, or conflicts with educational values and established norms. The circular also states that all reading material must comply with the age-appropriate guidelines laid down under the National Education Policy 2020.
The order covers all educational institutions under the Directorate, including 10,787 government schools and 2,386 recognised private schools in the Kashmir division. Heads of institutions have also been instructed to certify that no objectionable material remains on their campuses after the screening. If any objectionable content is found, school heads must prepare a detailed report listing the book's title, author, publisher, year of publication and the number of copies available. The report, along with an abstract of the content identified, must be submitted to the concerned Chief Education Officer (CEO) or Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) within seven days of the July 6 circular.
The ZEOs have been asked to scrutinise and consolidate reports from schools and coaching centres before submitting them to the respective CEOs by July 15. The CEOs will then forward the final reports to the Directorate of School Education Kashmir by July 17. The circular states that CEOs will personally monitor the certification process, and any failure to comply with the directions could invite disciplinary action.
The directive comes days after the BJP raised objections over books allegedly glorifying separatist leaders that had been procured for government schools. It also follows the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department's decision in August 2025 to ban the publication of 25 books on Kashmir, including works by Arundhati Roy and A G Noorani, on the grounds that they promoted secessionism.
Earlier this month, the government withdrew two books, Personalities and Legends of J&K by Hilal Ahmed and Santosh Meena, and Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir by Dr Sushant Giri, from school libraries after describing their content on separatism as highly inappropriate. The counter-intelligence wing of the J&K Police later searched the Jammu premises of the publisher of one of the books after registering a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Education Minister Sakina Itoo had called the episode "unfortunate" and a "deliberate conspiracy", saying strict action would be taken against those responsible for supplying such books to schools.
The order has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and some members of the ruling National Conference. MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said reports of books on Kashmir's history and identity being removed from educational institutions were "deeply troubling". "Libraries exist to preserve knowledge, not curate political narratives. Erasing books doesn't erase history; it only impoverishes scholarship," he said, adding that academic freedom and engagement with history should not become "casualties of ideological control". Peoples Democratic Party leader Waheed Para described the move as an attempt to "rewrite our collective memory", saying it would limit future generations' ability to question, think critically and understand their past.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.