4,700 books withdrawn in J&K: Mirwaiz seeks answers, Omar Abdullah questions ban

Srinagar: Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has termed the withdrawal of over 4,700 books from colleges and libraries in Jammu and Kashmir over alleged objectionable content as "disturbing and unfortunate", demanding that the government disclose the titles and reasons for their removal.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, meanwhile, said the elected government has no role in deciding whether books should be banned under the Union territory's current administrative arrangement, while questioning whether such restrictions are appropriate in a democracy.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has withdrawn more than 4,700 books, including 518 banned publications, from colleges across the Union territory after examining nearly 22 lakh books and other publications.

In a written reply to a question raised in the Assembly by Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) MLA from Langate, Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh, the government said it had examined 21,81,582 books and publications so far.

Mirwaiz seeks details of withdrawn books

Questioning the basis for classifying the publications as objectionable, Mirwaiz called for transparency over the decision.

"The disclosure by the Government in the Legislative Assembly that the Higher Education Department has withdrawn 4,249 'objectionable' books from colleges and libraries across J&K, with almost 4000 of them from Kashmir alone, is both disturbing and unfortunate," he said in a post on X.

"Academic freedom in universities and colleges and access to diverse perspectives are fundamental to education and evolution of society," he added.

The Mirwaiz said restricting what students can read on ideological grounds could undermine education and independent thinking.

"By withdrawing these books whose agenda is the elected government implementing, its own or someone else's..? People deserve clarity on that," he asked.

Omar Abdullah says elected government has no role in book ban

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir does not have the authority to decide on book bans under the existing administrative system.

Responding to a question from mediapersons about the alleged banning of books and removal of publications from libraries, Abdullah said the issue raised broader concerns about democratic principles.

"I have my own views on whether books should be banned or not. But unfortunately, in the current system, the elected government doesn't get to decide these things. Therefore, we just have to wait for that situation to change, and then we will take a fresh look at what has happened," the chief minister said.

Omar Abdullah hits back at BJP over Sheikh Abdullah remarks

Abdullah also responded to the BJP's allegation that Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah had acted as a conduit for the British against Maharaja Hari Singh.

He criticised the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over their role in India's freedom struggle and defended the legacy of Sheikh Abdullah and the National Conference.

"The role of the RSS and the BJP's predecessors during the freedom struggle is well known. Who tendered apologies, who did what -- everyone knows that history. The role that Sher-e-Kashmir played here cannot be forgotten. The sacrifices made by the National Conference during the period are also public knowledge," he said.

"It has become a habit of the BJP to attempt to distort history," he added, asserting, "They tried the same here. It doesn't matter; they can keep trying."

Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma had earlier alleged that Sheikh Abdullah was part of a British conspiracy against Maharaja Hari Singh.

Speaking in Jammu, Sharma claimed that Abdullah had acted at the behest of the British when he led the 1931 revolt against the Maharaja.