J&K: 21.8 lakh books screened, 4,812 withdrew from college libraries since July, says government
Only 518 of the withdrawn books are banned.
Black News 
The Jammu and Kashmir government told the Assembly on Tuesday that it had screened about 21.8 lakh books and withdrawn 4,812 of them from the libraries of state-run and private colleges in the Union Territory since July, The Hindu reported.
More than 12.4 lakh books had been screened in the Kashmir division and 9.3 lakh in Jammu to ensure that they do not contain “inappropriate or objectionable content”.
Of the books that were withdrawn, 518 had been banned, the newspaper quoted the government as saying.
More than 1,750 books were referred to the director of the government’s colleges department for further examination.
A government order in July had said that any material that may violate religious sentiments, was against the law or had the potential to harm national interest, should be identified, The Hindu reported.
The government stated that it had adopted “clear and objective criteria” to identify allegedly objectionable material available in colleges.
It told the Assembly that the books were screened as colleges are “expected to foster an environment that upholds constitutional values, academic freedom, critical thinking, scientific temper, responsible citizenship and respect for the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India”.
The government was responding to an Opposition MLA’s question about whether there was an objective criterion for identifying allegedly objectionable material available in higher education institutes.
The July directive came days after the Bharatiya...
