J&K parties condemn removal of chapter on revered Sufi saint from class 9 textbook

Srinagar: The CPI(M) and People's Conference on Thursday criticised the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (BOSE) for removing the chapter on the life of revered saint Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani from the 9th-grade textbook, with former Minister Sajad Gani Lone calling it "cultural terrorism."

However, ruling National Conference spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said the chapter on the saint will not be removed from the textbooks and the state education minister had asked the officials concerned to rectify the issue.

"The chapter on Sheikh-ul-Alam will not be removed from textbooks. The Education Minister has directed the Principal Secretary to address and rectify the issue found in the PDF version," Sadiq told reporters here.

Taking to X, CPI MLA M Y Tarigami had called the incident deeply troubling and urged CM Omar Abdullah to intervene to ensure that the chapter is reinstated.

"It is deeply troubling that an entire chapter on the revered Sufi saint Sheikh-ul-Alam has been dropped from the Class IX textbook. This censorship, carried out prior to the Assembly polls, is unacceptable to a society rooted in rich Sufi traditions," Tarigami posted on his X handle.

"I urge Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and ensure that this crucial chapter is reinstated, thereby preserving and honouring our rich cultural and Sufi heritage," he added.

People's Conference chief Sajjad Lone said that the BOSE had removed a chapter based on the life of the revered saint of Kashmir from the Class 9 textbooks and called it "an assault on our culture and ethos." "We have all revered him, and people, irrespective of religion, hold him in the highest esteem. This is pure cultural terrorism. It is an assault on our culture and ethos. I, as a Kashmiri, strongly condemn it," Lone posted on X.

The former minister said that the teachings of the great saint are a beacon of hope in these troubled times filled with "violence, greed and hatred." "More than ever, the current times are smudged with violence, greed, and hatred. In these times, our great saint is a beacon of hope and a role model for emulation," he said.

"And for those who removed the chapter from BOSE – our great saint and his saintly ways were etched in our hearts and minds long before BOSE came into existence," he added.