School books row - Raman Suri seeks exemplary punishment for paddlers of separatist narrative

JAMMU: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Raman Suri today welcomed the decision of the Jammu Kashmir government, taken on the directions of Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha, to suspend eight school education department officials, blacklist the authors and publishers involved, and ban the controversial books supplied to government school libraries glorifying separatism.

Raman Suri said that while the action taken so far is a positive beginning, it cannot be treated as the conclusion of the matter. “The suspensions are welcome, but a detailed and in-depth inquiry must reveal the names of the white-collared sympathisers of militancy and separatism who are attempting to vitiate the atmosphere by giving space to such elements in school books,” he said.

He expressed serious concern that young school children were allegedly being exposed to content that sought to normalise or glorify separatist figures. “Poisoning the minds of innocent children through such chapters is a grave matter. The issue becomes even more disturbing when such content is placed alongside the names and achievements of highly decorated police and security officials who sacrificed for the nation. This requires a thorough probe and not merely routine suspensions,” he added.

The BJP leader said that if the inquiry establishes deliberate involvement in promoting a separatist narrative through educational material, those responsible should face the strictest departmental and legal consequences. “Such officials should not be allowed to continue in public service if they are found to have aided or facilitated a separatist ecosystem whose citadel has been razed to the ground by the resolve of the nation,” he said.

Raman Suri noted that Jammu Kashmir is witnessing a historic transformation, with people increasingly embracing peace, participating in mainstream democratic processes, launching startups, creating employment and contributing to the vision of a new and prosperous Jammu Kashmir. “At a time when the youth are looking towards development, entrepreneurship and opportunity, the attempt to reintroduce separatist thinking through school books appears to be a conspiracy and nothing less than that,” he said.

He demanded that the inquiry examine the entire chain of selection, approval, procurement and distribution of the books across thousands of government and PM SHRI schools, and identify every individual who enabled the process despite the objectionable content.

Raman Suri asserted that the BJP will continue to stand firmly for nationalism, constitutional values and an education system that instill pride in India and respect for those who defended the nation. “The people responsible for this act must be given exemplary punishment so that no one ever again dares to misuse educational institutions for promoting divisive and anti-national narratives,” he added.