From Arundhati Roy to AG Noorani: 25 books banned in Jammu & Kashmir

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In a sweeping move coinciding with the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department has issued a notification banning and forfeiting 25 books, claiming they played a role in spreading “false narratives,” promoting “secessionism,” and “glorifying terrorism.” The government invoked Section 98 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 to enforce the ban, stating that the books have been found to “excite secessionism and endanger the sovereignty and integrity of India.” Section 98 deals with power to declare certain publications forfeited and to issue search-warrants for the same.

The order, issued by Principal Secretary Chandraker Bharti under the authority of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, said: “Available evidence based on investigations and credible intelligence unflinchingly indicate that a significant driver behind youth participation in violence and terrorism has been the systematic dissemination of false narratives and secessionist literature.”

According to the notification, the literature contributes to radicalization by “distortion of historical facts, glorification of terrorists, vilification of security forces, religious radicalization, promotion of alienation, pathway to violence and terrorism,” while masquerading as academic or political commentary. The books, the order stated, impact the “psyche of youth by promoting culture of grievance, victimhood and terrorist heroism.”

The banned titles span genres including political history, religious treatises, and socio-political analysis, and feature prominent Indian and international authors. The complete list of the 25 banned books includes:

1. Human Rights Violations in Kashmir – Piotr Balcerowicz & Agnieszka Kuszewska
   

2. Kashmiris Fight for Freedom – Mohd Yosuf Saraf
   

3. Colonizing Kashmir: State-Building under Indian Occupation – Hafsa Kanjwal
   

4. Kashmir Politics and Plebiscite – Dr. Abdul Gockhami Jabbar
   

5. Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? – Essar Batool & others
   

6. Mujahid ki Azan – Imam Hasan Al-Bana Shaheed, edited by Maulana Enayatullah Subhani
   

7. Al Jihadul fil Islam – Moulana Maududi
   

8. Independent Kashmir – Christopher Snedden
   

9. Resisting Occupation in Kashmir – Haley Duschinski, Mona Bhat, Ather Zia, Cynthia Mahmood

10. Between Democracy & Nation: Gender and Militarisation in Kashmir – Seema Kazi
    

11. Contested Lands – Sumantra Bose
    

12. In Search of a Future: The Story of Kashmir – David Devadas
    

13. Kashmir in Conflict: India, Pakistan and the Unending War – Victoria Schofield
    

14. The Kashmir Dispute: 1947–2012 – A G Noorani
    

15. Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside a 21st-Century Conflict – Sumantra Bose
    

16. A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir after Article 370 – Anuradha Bhasin
    

17. Resisting Disappearance: Military Occupation and Women’s Activism in Kashmir – Ather Zia
    

18. Confronting Terrorism – Edited by Maroof Raza
    

19. Freedom in Captivity: Negotiations of Belonging along the Kashmiri Frontier – Radhika Gupta
    

20. Kashmir: The Case for Freedom – Tariq Ali, Hilal Bhatt, Angana Chatterji, Pankaj Mishra, Arundhati Roy
    

21. Azadi – Arundhati Roy
    

22. USA and Kashmir – Dr. Shamshad Shan
    

23. Law & Conflict Resolution in Kashmir – Piotr Balcerowicz & Agnieszka Kuszewska
    

24. Tarikh-i-Siyasat Kashmir – Dr. Afaq
    

25. Kashmir & the Future of South Asia – Edited by Sugata Bose & Ayesha Jalal

These works have been declared “forfeited to the Government,” with all forms of publication, distribution, and possession effectively banned across Jammu and Kashmir. The notification explicitly states that the move is necessary to prevent further youth radicalization and to uphold national integrity.

The order has sparked debate across literary, academic, and political circles, as it involves a wide array of voices ranging from international scholars to acclaimed Indian authors and journalists. As of now, there has been no official response from the affected authors or publishers.