Kashmir Impulse Desk

Jammu, July 4

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused the National Conference-led government in Jammu and Kashmir of allowing what it described as the promotion of a separatist narrative through a government-approved school library book, demanding the immediate dismissal of Education Minister Sakeena Itoo, a high-level inquiry and a comprehensive review of educational material distributed in government institutions.

The opposition’s attack came as a controversy over two books procured under the Centre-sponsored Samagra Shiksha programme escalated into a political confrontation, prompting the administration to withdraw the publications, suspend eight School Education Department officials and order separate inquiries into the approval process.

Addressing a press conference in Jammu, Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma alleged that the publication Personalities and Legends of J&K, distributed to government school libraries, sought to glorify individuals associated with separatist politics and militancy, describing the development as an attempt at “academic subversion.”

“The head of the Jammu and Kashmir government should immediately sack the Education Minister for allowing the distribution of a seditious book in schools,” Sharma told reporters. “The book glorifies people who waged war against the country and challenges India’s sovereignty.”

Sharma was accompanied by BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi, BJP national secretary and MLA Narinder Singh Raina, and party spokesperson Zorawar Singh Jamwal.

The BJP demanded the immediate withdrawal of the publication from all educational institutions, a high-level investigation into its procurement and disciplinary action against officials responsible for approving it.

The controversy centres on two books that were selected for higher secondary school libraries under Samagra Shiksha, the Union government’s flagship school education programme. Authorities withdrew both publications on Friday after objections were raised over chapters relating to several separatist leaders.

Later on Saturday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered the suspension of eight officials associated with the book selection process, blacklisted the authors and publishers of the publications and directed a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer to complete an inquiry within 30 days.

The BJP said the administrative action should be followed by fixing political accountability.

Sharma alleged that the publication portrayed several separatist figures in a favourable light and questioned how such material had cleared official scrutiny before being distributed to government schools.

He also objected to what he claimed was the use of expressions such as “Indian Occupied Kashmir” and “Indian-Held Kashmir” in the book, saying such terminology was inconsistent with India’s official position on Jammu and Kashmir.

“The issue is not merely about one publication,” Sharma said. “It raises serious questions about the system that approved and circulated it.”

He called for a comprehensive audit of all books available in government school libraries across the Union Territory to identify any other publications that, according to the BJP, promote separatist ideology or undermine India’s territorial integrity.

The BJP leader further alleged that the inclusion of chapters on figures such as Maqbool Bhat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Masarat Alam Bhat, Abdul Ghani Lone and Muhammad Farooq Rehmani reflected the continued influence of what he described as a separatist ecosystem within sections of the education system.

Sharma claimed the publication amounted to an attempt to legitimise separatism before young students, an allegation the government has not publicly responded to.

The National Conference government has, however, distanced itself from the controversy.

Earlier in the day, Education Minister Sakeena Itoo described the contents of the books as “intolerable and unacceptable” and announced a time-bound departmental inquiry, saying those responsible for the lapse would face action in accordance with the law.

The School Education Department has also maintained that the books were withdrawn immediately after objections were received and that responsibility for the lapse would be determined through the ongoing investigations.

The controversy first surfaced after the Jammu Kashmir Peoples’ Forum, a civil society organisation, alleged that one of the books portrayed several separatist leaders as prominent personalities of Jammu and Kashmir despite their political positions on the region’s status.

The organisation urged the administration to investigate the procurement process and initiate action against officials responsible for clearing the publications.

The issue has since triggered sharp political exchanges between the ruling National Conference and the BJP, with the opposition portraying the episode as evidence of ideological bias in educational content, while the government has emphasised that disciplinary and administrative proceedings have already been initiated to establish accountability.

The inquiries ordered by both the Lieutenant Governor’s administration and the School Education Department are expected to examine how the publications passed multiple layers of scrutiny before reaching government school libraries and whether existing safeguards in the procurement process were followed.