J&K School Book Calls Terrorists "Great Personalities", Alleges Civil Group

The Omar Abdullah government in Jammu and Kashmir is facing a fierce backlash after a book allegedly distributed in government school libraries glorified separatist leaders and convicted terrorists as great personalities and legends.

Instead of teaching patriotism, classrooms are being used to glorify those who waged war to break India. The book projects separatists and terrorists like Maqbool Bhat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Masarat Alam and Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq as role models.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the assembly Sunil Sharma described the episode as "academic jihad" unleashed to pollute young minds.

"We want Omar Abdullah to sack his Education Minister Sakina Itoo and arrest all those people behind pushing and recommending this controversial book in school libraries," Sunil Sharma said.

Reacting to the controversy, Omar Abdullah said he has not read the book. He said he has not even seen the book.

The book has now been withdrawn from government school libraries.

The civil society organisation Jammu and Kashmir People's Forum, which had first flagged the issue, called the book the biggest betrayal towards martyrs' families and demanded an immediate ban and criminal action.

"By glorifying terrorists like Maqbool Bhat and others - who have hands soaked in blood - they have rubbed salt on the wounds of family members of martyrs who sacrificed their life while fighting against Pakistan sponsored terrorism all these years," said Deepak Kapoor,  member of JK Peoples Forum.

The book, cleared under Samagra Shiksha, turns history on its head by celebrating anti-national figures as role models. The controversy centres on 'Great Personalities and Legends of J&K (Series 4)', edited by Hilal Ahmed and Santosh Meena.

The JKPF alleged the book was procured by the state government for the 2025-26 academic session, stamped with the Samagra Shiksha logo, and sent to school libraries across the Union Territory.

There is a chapter titled "Shahid Maqbool Bhat"_ which describes a terrorist like Bhat in glorifying terms as a "revolutionary" and "Shaheed-e-Azam". Maqbool Bhat was a convicted terrorist and murderer. He was sentenced to death in a murder case and hanged in Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984, after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction.

The JKPF has raised serious questions about the vetting process under the New Education Policy framework. It asked how an expert committee linked to Samagra Shiksha approved a book that contained "misleading and objectionable references to the Indian state and security forces", and glorified individuals with anti-national roles.

"This is nothing more shocking, shameful and obnoxious. Our children are being taught to call separatists and terror convicts as legends," said Abhijeet Jasrotia, BJP spokesperson.

The JKPF has asked Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to personally intervene and order a time-bound probe into how the book entered the public education system.