05/07/2026
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has suspended eight officials and terminated the services of one contractual employee following the discovery of "pro-separatist" and "highly inappropriate" content in library books supplied to government schools.
The books—Personalities and Legends of J&K (by Hilal Ahmed and Santosh Meena) and Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir (by Dr. Sushant Giri)—were withdrawn after it was found that they glorified separatist leaders and terrorists as "legends" or "shaheeds."
Suspended Officials
According to Government Order No. 257-JK(Edu) of 2026, the following eight officials were suspended due to serious negligence, dereliction of duty, and a lack of due diligence in the selection and recommendation of these books:
Fazil Imran Siddiqui: Coordinator (Library), Samagra Shiksha
Gurjeet Singh: Assistant Coordinator, Samagra Shiksha
Sanjeev Sharma: Principal, Government Higher Secondary School, Kore Pannu (Kathua)
Shazia Kouser: Academic Officer, SCERT Jammu
Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir: Lecturer, Boys Higher Secondary School, Wathoora (Budgam)
Niranjan Sharma: Lecturer, Government Higher Secondary School, Badhat (Kishtwar)
Renu Mengi: Lecturer, DIET Jammu
Rajmohini: Lecturer, Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Poonch
Additionally, the services of Sheikh Suheel Ahmad, a contractual computer assistant supporting the library coordinator, were terminated.
Administrative Actions
Inquiry: A high-level inquiry headed by Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar has been ordered, with a report due within 30 days.
Blacklisting: The authors and the publishing houses involved (Oberoi Book Service, Jammu and Anurag Prakashan, Delhi) have been blacklisted, and all their publications have been ordered to be withdrawn from government school libraries across the Union Territory.
Status of Suspended Officials: During the suspension period, the officials have been ordered to remain attached to the Administrative Department of the School Education Department.
The controversy arose because the books were procured under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for school libraries and contained references to figures like Maqbool Bhat, Shabir Shah, and Masarat Alam in a manner deemed to have the "potential to create law and order issues.
