Following the suspension of eight officials due to a book controversy, the Counter-Intelligence Wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police has registered a case and initiated raids. The Wing filed its first FIR on Saturday regarding the alleged glorification of separatists in two contentious publications. The books in question are ‘Personalities and Legends of J and K’ by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, and ‘Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir’ by Sushant Giri.
Officials disclosed that 123 copies of one book were distributed in Jammu, Ramban, and Udhampur districts, while 128 copies of the other book were sent to Jammu and Baramulla districts. A case has been lodged at the Police Station Counter Intelligence, Jammu, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Raids were conducted at the premises of one publisher in Jammu city to gather relevant evidence for the ongoing investigation.
During the searches, both physical documents and digital evidence were seized by the investigators. No arrests have been made thus far. The controversy led to the suspension of eight officials by Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who also ordered an inquiry into the objectionable content found in the books. The School Education Department withdrew the books after political parties raised concerns about their alleged promotion of separatism.
