J&K Government Suspends Eight Officials and Blacklists Authors Over Inappropriate Library Books
SRINAGAR, JULY 04, 2026 — The Jammu and Kashmir government has suspended eight school education department officials, terminated a contractual worker, and blacklisted three authors and two publishers after two library books containing “inappropriate content” related to separatism were supplied to government schools. Issued by order of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the directive follows the discovery that books selected by an expert sub-committee contained material with the potential to trigger law and order situations. The administration cited serious negligence, dereliction of duty, and a total lack of due diligence by the selection panel.
The security lapse was discovered on July 3, 2026, during a review of an extensive procurement drive by Samagra Shiksha, which had purchased age-appropriate books for 18,328 government schools and 394 PM SHRI schools. While four expert sub-committees were formed to oversee the curation, a routine check revealed that Sub Committee Series-4 approved two highly objectionable titles: Personalities and Legends of J&K, written by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena and published by Oberoi Book Service in Jammu, and Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir, authored by Sushant Giri and published by Anurag Prakashan in Delhi. Authorities immediately withdrew the material, noting that 123 copies of the first book had already reached Jammu, Ramban, and Udhampur districts, while 128 copies of the second book were distributed across Jammu and Baramulla districts.
In a swift disciplinary response under Rule-31(1)(a) of the J&K Civil Services Rules of 1956, the government placed eight officials under immediate suspension. The penalized personnel include Samagra Shiksha Coordinator Fazil Imran Saddiqui and Assistant Coordinator Gurjeet Singh; Sanjeev Sharma, the Principal of GHSS Kore Pannu; Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir, an Academic Officer at SCERT Jammu; and lecturers Shazia Kouser, Niranjan Sharma, Renu Meng, and Rajmohini. These officials will remain attached to the School Education Department throughout the investigation. Furthermore, computer assistant Sheikh Suheel Ahmad, a contractual worker who was assisting the library coordinator, has been disengaged from his duties with immediate effect.
To ensure a thorough investigation into the systemic breakdown, the administration has appointed Ashwani Kumar, an IAS officer serving as the Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary of the Power Development Department, as the Inquiry Officer. He will be assisted by Presenting Officer Rohit Sharma, a JKAS officer and Additional Secretary in the General Administration Department. The inquiry team has been mandated to submit a comprehensive investigative report within 30 days. Concurrently, the government has enforced a blanket ban and blacklisted authors Hilal Ahmad, Santosh Meena, and Sushant Giri alongside publishers Oberoi Book Service and Anurag Prakashan. Moving forward, any printed material written or published by these entities will be completely barred and withdrawn from the Union Territory.