Three Publishers Arrested in J&K Over Allegedly ‘Inappropriate’ Books; More Arrests Likely as Probe headed by Dy. SP Rank officer Intensifies.

||Black and White Digital News ||

||Parvinder Singh July 13, 2016 ||

Jammu : Three publishers have been arrested by the Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the ongoing investigation into the publication and distribution of two controversial books alleged to contain “highly inappropriate content” and glorify separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir.

The arrests were made during coordinated operations conducted in Jammu and Delhi under the supervision of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), CID Counter Intelligence Jammu , officials said on Sunday.

The arrested publishers have been identified as Inderpaul of Jammu-based Oberoi Book Service, and Amardeep Singh and Girish Arora associated with Dominant Publishers, a Noida-based publishing house. Investigators are examining their roles in the printing and distribution of the books.

The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP), rank officer of CID Counter Intelligence .

The controversy revolves around two books—”Personalities and Legends of J-K”, authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena and published by Oberoi Book Service, and “Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir”, authored by Sushant Giri and published by Anurag Prakashan, Delhi. According to officials, the books were found in government school libraries and allegedly contained material glorifying separatist leaders.

On July 4, the Counter Intelligence wing registered an FIR under Sections 49 (abetment), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 152 (acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India), 196 (promoting enmity between groups), and 353 (publishing or circulating false statements, rumours or reports) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Officials said that 123 copies of one of the books were distributed to schools in Jammu, Ramban and Udhampur districts, while 128 copies of the second book were supplied to schools in Jammu and Baramulla districts.

As part of the investigation, Counter Intelligence teams had conducted raids on the premises of Oberoi Book Service and Dominant Publishers on July 6. Both publishing houses had already been blacklisted by the government.

On Saturday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered strict action in the matter by suspending eight officials of the School Education Department, dismissing a contractual employee, and directing a detailed inquiry into the procurement and circulation of the two books. The School Education Department had withdrawn both books from government schools on July 3.

The controversy had drawn sharp criticism from the BJP, Congress, and several other political parties, which alleged that the books promoted separatist ideology.

Officials said the investigation is being carried out with the utmost importance and sensitivity, given the nature of the allegations. According to sources, more arrests are likely in the coming days as the SIT continues to examine the involvement of individuals and organisations linked to the publication, procurement and distribution of the books.