J&K Arrests Three Publishers Over Separatist Books

Police in Jammu and Kashmir have arrested three publishers as part of a widening investigation into books allegedly containing material that glorifies separatist leaders, which were procured for government school libraries. The arrests, made on Sunday, July 12, follow raids and a formal case registered under anti-terror and other legal provisions.

The arrested individuals were identified as Inderpaul of Jammu-based Oberoi Book Service and Amardeep Singh and Girish Arora of Noida-based Dominant Publishers. The Counter Intelligence Kashmir unit conducted the arrests and had previously raided the publishers' premises on July 6. Officials stated the investigation focuses on the publication and distribution of two specific books: "Personalities and Legends of J&K" and "Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir."

The books were selected and purchased under the Samagra Shiksha program, a government education initiative, before being withdrawn after objections were raised. According to the School Education Department, 123 copies of one book were supplied to schools in Jammu, Ramban, and Udhampur districts, while 128 copies of the other reached schools in Jammu and Baramulla.