Three Publishers Arrested in J&K Over Book Allegedly Glorifying Terrorists

Three publishers have been arrested in Jammu and Kashmir over a book accused of glorifying terrorists. The investigation under the UAPA is continuing.
on Jul 13, 2026

Counter Intelligence Wing of Jammu (CIJ) has arrested three publishers over the publication and distribution of a book entitled “Legends and Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir” as it allegedly promotes the terrorist and secessionist elements along with an extreme ideology.

It was mentioned that the three publishers, who belong to two from Delhi and one from Jammu, have been interrogated initially before their arrest as a result of continuing investigation.

It was also revealed that one of the two publishers from Delhi tried to destroy the evidence by deleting digital information regarding the publication of the book. But the officials have stated that the required data could be recovered during the course of the investigation.

Raids on Publishing Companies

These arrests have come after several raids conducted by CIJ teams in publishing companies in Delhi and Jammu. The documentations pertaining to the printing, publication, supply and distribution of the book have been recovered during these searches.

Furthermore, as part of this ongoing investigation, a CIJ team has visited Rajasthan for questioning one of the authors of the book Santosh Meena. According to the officials, the second author of the book Hilal Ahmad is still not traced yet.

Scope of Investigation Expanded

The case has so far resulted in the suspension of eight officials of the Jammu & Kashmir Education Department, one of whom is the principal of a school.

A departmental inquiry has also been ordered into the matter to ascertain the responsibility of those concerned with the approval and distribution of the book.

FIR Registered Against Those Responsible for Publication

An FIR has also been filed under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against those allegedly responsible for publishing, printing, and distributing the book.

Controversial Book's Content

The trouble started because the book contains chapters which treat several terrorists and separatists' leaders as eminent personalities of Jammu & Kashmir.

One of them is Maqbool Bhat, who has been sentenced to death for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of the Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre in Birmingham, UK, in 1984.

Apart from that, some of the other names which have been treated as great personalities of Jammu & Kashmir in the book include that of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Masrat Alam, and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Also Under Scrutiny: Education Department

In the previous week, the Counter Intelligence Wing conducted raids on the Directorate of Samagra Shiksha which had cleared the book for publication. Documents pertaining to the clearance of the book and questioning of senior officials were also part of the investigation.

As per sources from the Jammu and Kashmir Education Department, the investigation is likely to go wider and arrests may be made during the course of the probe.

The story is unfolding. The case is under investigation.