Omar Abdullah Accuses BJP of ‘Rewriting History’ as J&K Holiday Row Erupts

Speaking to reporters here, Abdullah said he personally holds strong views on whether books should be banned, but stressed that the authority to decide such matters does not rest with the elected government under the current administrative framework. He noted that the government would have to wait for “a change in the situation” before it could revisit the issue, adding that the present system leaves little room for elected representatives to intervene in decisions of this nature.

His remarks came a day after the J&K Legislative Assembly was informed that the Union Territory’s Higher Education Department has withdrawn 4,249 books deemed “objectionable” from colleges and libraries across the Union territory. Of these, nearly 4,000 were removed from institutions in the Kashmir Valley and 253 from the Jammu division. The government said the exercise is part of a sweeping review of educational material, during which authorities have scrutinised more than 21.8 lakh books and publications across higher educational institutions. In addition to titles flagged during the review, 518 copies of 19 books formally banned under S.O. 203 dated August 5, 2025 were also removed.

Officials described the process as laborious and ongoing, emphasising that the Higher Education Department is following clearly defined criteria aligned with directives issued by authorities. The government defended the initiative by arguing that colleges and universities must uphold constitutional values, scientific temper, critical thinking and respect for India’s sovereignty and integrity. Ensuring that educational resources do not undermine these principles, it said, is essential to maintaining academic standards and responsible citizenship.

The disclosures come amid an unprecedented territory‑wide campaign to identify and remove books considered inappropriate, prejudicial to religious sentiments or contrary to national interests from government schools, private institutions and coaching centres. The drive began after a controversy erupted over two books supplied to school libraries that allegedly contained favourable references to separatist leaders and terminology associated with secessionist politics. Before recall orders were issued, 251 copies of the books had already been distributed across several districts.

The Lieutenant Governor’s administration responded with unusually stringent measures- eight officials were suspended, a contractual employee was disengaged, and the authors and publishers were blacklisted across the Union Territory. All their publications were ordered withdrawn, and a high‑level inquiry was launched to determine how the books entered the official system. Parallel screening exercises were subsequently initiated across Jammu, and institutions were directed to review all reading material for content violating religious sentiments, undermining national interest or deviating from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Compliance certificates were mandated to ensure time‑bound completion.

The campaign has triggered a wider political and intellectual debate. Supporters argue that literature perceived to glorify separatism cannot be treated as neutral scholarship in a region with a sensitive security environment. Critics, however, warn that large‑scale withdrawals and bans risk narrowing academic inquiry by allowing bureaucratic agencies rather than scholars to determine acceptable interpretations of history and politics.

Among the most vocal critics is Kashmir’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who on Wednesday expressed serious concern over the withdrawal of 4,249 books, nearly all from Kashmir. In a post on ‘X’, he questioned what criteria were used to deem the books objectionable and demanded that the titles and reasons for their removal be made public. He argued that academic freedom and access to diverse perspectives are essential to education and societal evolution, and warned that attempts to ideologically regulate reading material impoverish learning and critical thought. Mirwaiz also asked whether the agenda behind the withdrawals was that of the elected government or “someone else’s,” insisting that people deserve clarity on such an important matter.

His concerns mirror those raised by other political figures, including J&K Awami Itihad Party legislator Sheikh Khursheed Ahmed—the member who initiated the question in the Assembly—who has insisted that the titles of the withdrawn books be publicly disclosed. PDP MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para has characterised the move as an act of “unhistory,” warning that historical narratives should be contested through scholarship rather than imposed through administrative authority. The dispute comes on the heels of earlier bans on 25 books authored by academics and journalists, actions that drew sharp criticism from civil society groups who viewed them as encroachments on academic freedom.

Amid the intensifying debate, J&K’s Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo maintained that checking books is a routine process and that titles formally banned must not remain in schools. But with thousands of books withdrawn, questions over transparency, criteria and authority continue to dominate public discourse — and the Chief Minister’s admission that the elected government has little say in the matter has only sharpened the political and constitutional dimensions of the controversy.