Indian police arrest three publishers over two IIOJK books
Jammu : Indian police have arrested three publishers in connection with the inclusion of names of some Hurriyat leadership in two books in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, police along with the Counter-Intelligence unit arrested three publishers in Jammu on Sunday as part of an ongoing investigation into certain books in IIOJK, officials said.
The arrests followed coordinated operations in both Jammu and Delhi. The action is part of an investigation into the publication and distribution of the books and their content. Investigators are scrutinizing the publishers’ role in printing and distributing the material, Indian police officials stated.
On July 4, the Counter-Intelligence unit registered an FIR for publishing and circulating statements and reports under black laws, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The action was taken after two books found in government libraries were reported to have documented the political activism of Hurriyat leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Muhammad Maqbool Butt, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Masarrat Alam Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, and others. The books in question are titled ‘Personalities and Legends of J-K’, authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, and published by Jammu-based Oberoi Book Service.
The second book, ‘Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir’, is authored by Sushant Giri and published by Delhi-based Anurag Prakashan.The three publishers arrested include Inderpaul from Oberoi Book Service, and Amardeep Singh and Girish Arora from Noida-based Dominant Publishers.
Earlier, both Oberoi Book Service and Dominant Publishers had been blacklisted by the BJP government. Counter-Intelligence teams conducted raids on their premises on July 6.
According to officials, 123 copies of one book were distributed in the Jammu, Ramban, and Udhampur districts, while 128 copies of the other book were sent to Jammu and Baramulla districts. The BJP regime led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has suspended eight officials from the School Education Department and dismissed a contractual staff member. In an order, the School Education Department said the two books were withdrawn on July 3.
