The Jammu and Kashmir government has directed the heads of all government and private schools and coaching centres in Kashmir to screen books in their libraries, offices, classrooms and staff rooms for “inappropriate or objectionable content”.It has also directed them to submit a certificate to their respective Chief or Zonal Education Officers, certifying that no book on the premises of their educational institution contains any “objectionable material”.The move comes days after the BJP protested against the procurement of books by government schools over the alleged glorification of some separatist leaders. It also comes almost a year after the J&K Home Department, in August 2025, banned the publication of 25 books on Kashmir, including by authors such as Arundhati Roy and A G Noorani, saying they propagate “secessionism”.“All Heads of Institutions (HOIs) of government schools, recognised private schools, and coaching institutions operating within the jurisdiction of Directorate of School Education, Kashmir, are hereby directed to conduct a comprehensive screening of all books available (recently acquired or older publications) in their respective jurisdiction, including offices, classrooms, staff rooms, school library, etc,” reads an order issued by the Director School Education Kashmir dated July 6.“The purpose of this screening is to ensure that no book contains inappropriate or objectionable content. This includes material that may violate religious sentiments of any section, be it inappropriate content for students, content against prevailing laws with the potential to harm national interest, affect educational values, and established norms,” it states.There are 10,787 government and 2,386 recognised private schools in the Kashmir division.The development was met with criticism from across the political spectrum, including by a Parliamentarian from the ruling National Conference. “The reports of books relating to Kashmir’s history and identity being removed from the University of Kashmir, alongside the ongoing audit of educational institutions, are deeply troubling,” said MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi. “Libraries exist to preserve knowledge, not curate political narratives. Erasing books doesn’t erase history; it only impoverishes scholarship.”Story continues below this adSaying that a society that fears ideas fears the truth, Ruhullah said the “academic freedom and right to engage with history never becomes casualties of ideological control”.Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Para called it an attempt to “rewrite our collective memory”. “This is an attempt to rewrite our collective memory and erase our own history from the curriculum. It promotes selective learning while taking away future generations’ ability to question, think critically, and understand their past,” Para told The Indian Express. “We elected a local government to resist such actions and preserve our history. Sadly, the Directorate of Education, under the elected minister’s authority, has approved and issued this directive.”The order says that if any “objectionable” content is identified by the heads of the institutions, they will provide detailed information such as the book title, author, publisher, year of publication and the number of books the educational institute has, and submit it to the higher officials for scrutiny within seven days.While seeking strict compliance with the order, it makes the heads of institutions responsible for certifying that no “objectionable material is present within the premises of the school/office”.Story continues below this adChief Education Officers have been asked to personally follow up on and monitor the certificates issued by Heads of Institutions and to file a report with the Director of School Education, Kashmir, within eight days.ALSO READ | He slept through the last day of school. Staff locked up and left him inside“Any lapse in compliance with these instructions shall be viewed seriously and will invite appropriate disciplinary action against the defaulting officer(s) under the applicable rules,” the order reads.Earlier this month, the Jammu and Kashmir government withdrew two books from its school libraries on the grounds that they contained “highly inappropriate content” on separatism. Soon after, the counter-intelligence wing of the J&K Police conducted searches at the Jammu premises of the publisher of one of the books, following the registration of an FIR under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.J&K Education Minister Sakina Itoo had described the matter as “unfortunate” and a “deliberate conspiracy”, saying that strict action would be taken against those found involved in the supply of such books to schools. The withdrawn books, ‘Personalities and Legends of J&K’ by Hilal Ahmed and Santosh Meena, and ‘Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir’ by Dr Sushant Giri, were published by Oberoi Book Service, Jammu, and Anurag Prakashan, Delhi, and supplied to school libraries as part of Samagra Shiksha for higher secondary classes.