Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has banned 25 books, including Azadi by writer-activist Arundhati Roy, The Kashmir Dispute 1947–2012 by legal expert AG Noorani, and Kashmir at the Crossroads and Contested Lands by political scientist Sumantra Bose, citing concerns over content that allegedly promotes ‘secessionism and radicalises’ youth.
A notification issued by the Home Department on August 5, signed by Principal Secretary Chandraker Bharti, stated that these books — often presented as historical or political analysis — play a role in inciting violence and terrorism among the region’s youth. The document claims the literature distorts historical events, glorifies militants, vilifies security forces, and encourages religious extremism and alienation.
The banned titles, published by reputed international publishing houses like Routledge, Oxford University Press, and Stanford University Press, have been “forfeited” under Section 98 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023. The government further invoked sections 152, 196, and 197 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, alleging that the content endangers India’s sovereignty and promotes unlawful activities.
The ban comes just days before the Supreme Court is set to hear a plea on August 8, demanding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir — a region that lost its special constitutional status on August 5, 2019, following the government of India’s decision to revoke Article 370 and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
