Omar Abdullah Questions Book Banning as J&K Withdraws 4,767 Titles
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah says banning books raises wider questions about democracy, after the government withdrew 4,767 titles from college libraries.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the withdrawal of books from college libraries raised broader questions about democratic functioning, noting that the elected government does not get to decide on such matters.
His remarks came a day after the J&K government informed the Legislative Assembly that 21.81 lakh books had been screened in college libraries since July. The Higher Education Department said it had withdrawn 4,767 books — 518 banned titles and 4,249 non-banned ones — from colleges. A further 1,752 books were referred to the Director, Colleges, for expert examination.
"Banning books raises a wider question: is this a way forward in a democracy? I have my own views on whether books should be banned or not. Unfortunately, in the current system, the elected government doesn't get to decide on these things," Mr. Abdullah said, adding that the situation needed to change so such actions could be looked at afresh.
Earlier in the day, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo maintained that banned books had no place in educational institutions. "This is a regular process. If there are any banned books, they should not be kept in government schools," he said.
Kashmir's chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, described the withdrawal as "disturbing and unfortunate" and questioned whose agenda was being pursued. "By withdrawing these books, whose agenda is the elected government implementing — its own or someone else's? People deserve clarity on that," he said.
The Mirwaiz demanded that the titles and the reasons for their removal be made public, calling academic freedom and access to diverse perspectives fundamental to education and the evolution of society. He alleged attempts to ideologically regulate what students can and cannot read, which he said impoverished learning and critical thought.
"Transparency on such an important matter concerning educational institutions and access to knowledge is essential, and the people have a right to know the basis on which such a large number of books have been removed from circulation," he added.
The government said the scrutiny of objectionable books and material was still in progress, describing it as a laborious exercise that could take more time. The wider review was launched after two books, supplied under the library grant of the Centre's Samagra Shiksha scheme, were allegedly found to contain inappropriate and objectionable content in July.