August 7, 2025 — Srinagar:
- Ban announced: The Home Department of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha — appointed by India’s BJP-led central government — has banned 25 books, accusing them of spreading “false narratives” and “secessionism.”
- Legal cover: The order uses provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — legislation introduced under BJP rule.
- Reason claimed: Authorities allege the books glorify “terrorism” and could mislead youth, posing a threat to India’s “sovereignty and integrity.”
- Targeted works: The ban includes influential titles such as:
- Azadi — Arundhati Roy
- The Kashmir Dispute (1947–2012) — A.G. Noorani
- Kashmir in Conflict — Victoria Schofield
- Independent Kashmir — Christopher Snedden
- Kashmir at the Crossroads and Contested Lands — Sumantra Bose
- Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? — Essar Batool and others
- The Dismantled State — Anuradha Bhasin
- Colonizing Kashmir — Hafsa Kanjwal
- Al Jihad fil Islam — Maulana Maududi
- Tarikh-i-Siyasat Kashmir — Dr. Afaq Aziz
- Cultural impact: Many of these works document Kashmir’s contested history, human rights abuses, and political realities after the abrogation of Article 370.
- On-ground crackdown: Police have raided bookshops and confiscated copies, sparking condemnation from authors, academics, and resistance leaders.
- Rights activists call it a BJP-backed attempt to erase inconvenient truths and control the historical record in IIOJK.
- For many Kashmiris, the ban list has unintentionally become a “recommended reading list” — a guide to the books Delhi fears the most.
- While framed as a “regional” decision, the BJP’s appointment of the Lieutenant Governor and the use of BJP-era laws leave little doubt about New Delhi’s hand in shrinking civic freedoms in IIOJK.
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