J&K Govt withdraws controversial school book glorifying separatists and terrorists amid fierce political backlash

The School Education Department has ordered the immediate recall of all copies and initiated action against those involved in the book’s approval, procurement, and circulation

Chandra Maurya

July 4, 2026

The School Education Department has ordered the immediate recall of all copies and initiated action against those involved in the book’s approval, procurement, and circulation

J&K book row: Geelani, Maqbool Bhat listed as ‘legends’

A controversial book titled Personalities and Legends of J&K (Series-4), procured for government school libraries under the Union Territory’s Samagra Shiksha scheme, has sparked a major political backlash, prompting the J&K government to immediately withdraw the book from the libraries and initiate action against all those responsible for its approval, procurement and circulation.

The book had presented separatist leaders from the union territory as personalities and legends, with the BJP dubbing the move as part of “academic Jihad” and “waging war” against the country.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition @Sunil_SharmaBJP alleged that a textbook contains separatist content and describes Jammu and Kashmir as “Indian Occupied.” He demanded an immediate ban on the book and called for a thorough investigation into the matter.@BJP4India @BJP4JnK… pic.twitter.com/H8aXaRnTsk
— Gulistan News (@GulistanNewsTV) July 4, 2026

The book titled ‘Personalities and Legends of J&K’ reportedly includes separatists Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Maqbool Bhat, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Shabir Shah. Released by the Samagra Shiksha, a Government of India-sponsored scheme for early education, the book has been co-authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena.

Commissioner Secretary to the Government, School Education Department, Ram Niwas Sharma, confirmed that the publication has been withdrawn from all schools with immediate effect.

“The book has been withdrawn. Action is being taken against all concerned,” Sharma said.

He said all copies of the publication have been recalled from schools and that proceedings have been initiated against those involved in its publication, approval, procurement, and distribution. Sharma further said the controversial book, titled “Great Personalities and Legends”, was supplied to schools in June 2026 and was withdrawn on July 3, 2026.

The civil society organisation Jammu and Kashmir People’s Forum, which had first flagged the issue, called the book the biggest betrayal towards martyrs’ families and demanded an immediate ban and criminal action.

“By glorifying terrorists like Maqbool Bhat and others – who have hands soaked in blood – they have rubbed salt in the wounds of family members of martyrs who sacrificed their lives while fighting against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism all these years,” said Deepak Kapoor, member of JK Peoples Forum.

Academic Jihad: BJP

Addressing a press conference in Jammu on Saturday, Leader of the Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma said that the book had “glorified people indicted by the Supreme Court of India and given the death penalty and those who were killers, terrorists, separatists and responsible for waging war against the country”.

Sharma called the book part of “academic Jihad and part of Pakistan’s discourse on Kashmir”.

The BJP leader demanded a complete ban on the book and an inquiry against the authors, the publisher, and the education minister.

Although the Samagra Shiksha, which has released the book, is centrally sponsored, Sharma accused the Omar Abdullah-led NC government of promoting terrorism through the book.

“Through education, the National Conference (NC) government wants to promote terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, and this is a sensitive issue as the book doesn’t contain anything about education with a historic perspective, but is a well-thought-out process of promoting a Jihadi mindset among the youth and poisoning their minds,” Sharma said.

He claimed the publication reflects a separatist and jihadi mindset and accused the Education Department of officially approving and distributing the book in government school libraries after it was vetted by an expert committee.

“This is not history or education. This is academic subversion. It is academic jihad against India,” Sharma said, alleging that the book attempts to revive separatist ideology among the youth.

He said the investigation should not be limited to officials alone but should also examine the role of the Education Department, the Education Minister, and the government.

The LoP also urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to immediately remove the Education Minister, alleging that the distribution of such material amounted to a “serious crime against the nation.”

Former DGP Dr SP Vaid said, “It is a matter of shame for me that my name is being linked with Masarat Alam and Maqbool Bhat, given that Masarat Alam was a detainee under my custody when I served as Director General of Prisons. The truly shameful thing is that the Jammu & Kashmir government has approved a book for inclusion in all libraries and government schools that hails Maqbool Bhat as a martyr. He wanted to secede Jammu & Kashmir from India; he was involved in acts of terror and committed murder… You speak of figures like Masarat Alam, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and Shabir Shah—individuals who acted as mouthpieces here for the agendas of Pakistan’s ISI and establishment. They sought to separate Jammu & Kashmir from India, radicalising local youth and inciting them to engage in stone-pelting. By portraying them as legends, you are signalling to the next generation that if they wish to become legends themselves, they should emulate these figures.

#WATCH | Jammu: On the controversy over a book in Jammu and Kashmir schools that allegedly portrays terrorists and separatist leaders as ‘great personalities’, Former J&K DGP SP Vaid says, “It is a matter of shame for me that my name is being linked with Masarat Alam and Maqbool… pic.twitter.com/h8w7xxetbP
— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2026

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday suspended eight officials of the School Education Department (SED) over the approval and procurement of a controversial library book titled ‘Personalities and Legends of J&K’ series – 4, that allegedly contained content glorifying separatism.

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