Jammu, July 12: The Counter Intelligence Wing of Jammu (CIJ) has arrested three publishers in connection with the publication and circulation of two books allegedly glorifying terrorists and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to sources, the three arrested publishers, two based in Delhi and one in Jammu, were summoned for questioning before being taken into custody.
The arrested publishers include the publisher, Inderpal, from Jammu; the printer, Amardeep Singh; and Girish Arora, who allegedly provided the content for the book, both from Delhi.
The arrests come days after CIJ teams conducted raids at publishing houses in Delhi and Jammu, seizing documents related to the printing, supply and distribution of the book.
Sources said as part of the widening investigation, a CIJ team also travelled to Rajasthan to question one of the book's authors, Santosh Meena.
The second author, Hilal Ahmad, is yet to be traced, sources said.
The authorities have already suspended eight education department officials including a principal. An inquiry has been ordered by the government to fix responsibility, while an FIR has been registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against those allegedly involved in publishing, printing and promoting the book.
The controversy erupted after two books supplied to government school libraries were found to contain chapters portraying several terrorists and separatists as prominent personalities of Jammu and Kashmir.
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 the Delhi-based Anurag Prakashan.
Among those featured is JLKF founder Maqbool Bhat, who was hanged in Delhi’s Tihar jail in 1984. The publication also describes separatists, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Masrat Alam and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, as "great personalities" of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing strong criticism from authorities.
Earlier this week, the Counter Intelligence Wing raided the Directorate of Samagra Shiksha, which had approved the publication of the book. Officials seized documents related to the approval process and questioned senior officers as part of the investigation.
According to officials, 123 copies of one book were distributed to the Jammu, Ramban, and Udhampur districts, while 128 copies of the other book were sent to Jammu and Baramulla districts.
In an order, the School Education Department said the two books were withdrawn on July 3.