SRINAGAR, JULY 04 – The Jammu and Kashmir government has withdrawn a controversial book from government school libraries after objections over its contents and ordered an inquiry to fix responsibility for its approval and distribution, official sources said on Saturday.
The decision was taken after the School Education Department reviewed complaints that the publication contained references considered objectionable and unsuitable for school students, the sources said.
According to government sources, all copies of the book have been recalled from government schools and directions have been issued to ensure it is no longer available in school libraries.
The sources said the government has also initiated departmental proceedings to identify officials involved in the book’s selection, approval, procurement and circulation. Responsibility will be fixed after the inquiry, they added.
The book, Great Personalities and Legends, was supplied to government schools under the Samagra Shiksha scheme in June this year. It was withdrawn on July 3 following complaints received by the department, the sources said.
The controversy gathered pace after the opposition BJP alleged that the publication portrayed separatist leaders and persons linked to militancy in a favourable light.
Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma demanded that the book be withdrawn immediately, a high-level probe ordered and action taken against those responsible for allowing it into school libraries.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he had neither read nor heard about the book and would comment only after examining it.
