J&K withdraws 4,249 books over 'objectionable material', 94% from Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir has withdrawn 4,249 books from circulation for objectionable material, with 94% of them in the Kashmir division, the government told the Assembly.
More than 4,200 books have been withdrawn from circulation across Jammu and Kashmir over "objectionable material", with the overwhelming majority of the titles pulled in the Kashmir division, the government has told the Assembly.
In a reply tabled in the House on Tuesday, the government said 4,249 books had been taken out of circulation. Of these, 94% were withdrawn in Kashmir, while the remaining titles came from the Jammu division. The reply did not specify the period over which the withdrawals took place.
The question was raised by Langate MLA and Awami Ittehad Party leader Sheikh Khursheed.
According to the government, a three-tier "academic and content scrutiny mechanism" — comprising committees at the college, directorate and administrative department levels — examined 21,81,512 titles before the withdrawals were ordered.
The government said a "clear and objective criteria" had been adopted to identify objectionable material for the scrutiny of books available in colleges, in line with directions contained in a circular issued by the Higher Education Department.
Explaining the rationale, the reply said higher education institutions are centres of learning, research and academic excellence and "are expected to foster an environment that upholds Constitutional values, academic freedom, critical thinking, scientific temper, responsible citizenship and respect for the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India."
The circular, issued in July this year, stated that a transparent, accountable and institutionally robust mechanism had become necessary for the evaluation, academic and content audit, procurement, recommendation, retention, circulation and periodic review of academic material.
The department said such a mechanism was needed to prevent the inclusion or continued availability of publications containing factually inaccurate, misleading, inflammatory, unlawful or otherwise objectionable content, including material that directly or indirectly promotes, glorifies, legitimises or justifies terrorism, violent extremism, secessionism, radicalisation or any activity prejudicial to the sovereignty, unity, integrity or security of the nation.
The document lays down conditions for the academic and content audit to take a comprehensive review of the academic relevance, factual authenticity and pedagogical suitability of every publication, along with its conformity with the Constitution of India, applicable laws, University Grants Commission regulations, government policy and the educational objectives of the Higher Education Department.
Khursheed expressed dissatisfaction with the government's reply, saying it did not provide the list of books and authors withdrawn from circulation. "This is not a comprehensive reply. I could not ask what exact titles or authors have been withdrawn. The question was pushed further down the agenda and could not be taken up during question hour, but I will continue to pursue this," he said.