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Who is Hilal Ahmed? “Untraceable” co-author of controversial book

Early Times Report

Jammu, July 6: Even as the Jammu and Kashmir administration has suspended eight Education Department employees over the publication and distribution of the controversial textbook Personalities and Legends of J&K, one of its listed authors, Hilal Ahmed, remains untraceable, raising fresh questions about the book's authorship.
According to official sources, the textbook was authored by two individuals—Hilal Ahmed and Santosh Meena. While Santosh Meena has reportedly been traced to Rajasthan, the whereabouts and identity of Hilal Ahmed remain unknown. "It is still not known whether Hilal Ahmed actually exists or whether the name is fictitious," a source said.
The book has sparked a major controversy after it allegedly contained content glorifying terrorists and separatist leaders and included passages that officials claim were reproduced from Pakistani propaganda material.
Sources said the Union Government has taken an "extremely serious view" of the inclusion of content allegedly lifted verbatim from Pakistani publications in a textbook meant for government schools in Jammu and Kashmir. The book was published, procured and distributed during the 2025-26 academic session under the Centrally sponsored Samagra Shiksha programme.
The textbook, titled Personalities and Legends of J&K, allegedly describes several separatist leaders, including JKLF co-founder Maqbool Bhat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Masarat Alam and Shabir Shah, as "legendary personalities." It also reportedly refers to Maqbool Bhat as "Shaheed" and describes separatist figures as "freedom fighters."
Officials further alleged that the book refers to Jammu and Kashmir as "Indian Occupied Kashmir" and "Indian Held Kashmir," terminology commonly associated with Pakistan's official narrative. The publication lists two authors—one from Kashmir and another from Jammu—and was published by a Jammu-based publishing house before being procured in bulk for distribution in government schools. Following objections raised by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Education Department has withdrawn the textbook from circulation and placed eight junior officials under suspension pending an inquiry.
Sources said an FIR is being registered under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the matter. If offences are established during the investigation, those found responsible could face arrest and departmental action, including termination of service.
The investigation is continuing to determine how the book was approved, published, procured, and distributed despite the allegedly objectionable content.
Convicted terrorist Maqbool Bhat was described with the honorific title "Shaheed", with an entire chapter dedicated to him under the heading "Shaheed Maqbool Bhat." Bhat was convicted in connection with the murder of Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre and a CID Inspector. A convicted terrorist and murderer cannot ordinarily be regarded as one of the "great personalities" of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ironically, the book itself records that the Supreme Court of India restored his death sentence and that he was hanged for murder and acts of terrorism. It notes that the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty in 1978 and that Bhat was executed on February 11, 1984.
The book further advocates what it describes as an armed revolution against India.
This is not an isolated instance. The terms "Indian-occupied Kashmir" (IOK) and "Indian-held Kashmir" (IHK)—expressions commonly used by Pakistan to describe Jammu and Kashmir—appear repeatedly in the text as the author's own terminology.
The book also refers to National Liberation Front (NLF) members crossing into "Indian-occupied Kashmir" and recruiting "Kashmiris in the IOK" in the author's own narrative.
The officially recognised constitutional term is Jammu and Kashmir. The use of expressions such as "IOK" and "IHK" reflects terminology associated with Pakistan's position on the region and has been widely criticised in India for implying that India's administration of Jammu and Kashmir lacks legitimacy.