The Jammu and Kashmir administration has ordered the forfeiture of 25 books, citing concerns that the titles promote secessionist ideology and incite violence against the Indian state. The banned books include works by prominent Indian and international writers such as constitutional expert A.G. Noorani, Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, British historian Victoria Schofield, and LSE professor Sumantra Bose.
The order, issued on August 5 by the Union Territory’s Home Department, states that these books propagate a “false narrative” on Kashmir and have played “a significant role” in influencing youth towards militancy. The move comes on the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.
According to the order, the books are being seized under Section 98 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, which empowers the government to declare publications as forfeited. The order claims the titles have “contributed to the radicalisation of youth” through the “distortion of historical facts, glorification of terrorists, vilification of security forces, religious radicalisation, and promotion of alienation.”
It further states that these books have violated Sections 152, 196, and 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, which relate to acts endangering national sovereignty, promoting enmity between groups, and making assertions prejudicial to national integration.
Some of the notable titles on the list include The Kashmir Dispute by A.G. Noorani, Azadi and Kashmir: The Case for Freedom by Arundhati Roy, Kashmir in Conflict by Victoria Schofield, Contested Lands by Sumantra Bose, A Dismantled State by Anuradha Bhasin, and Independent Kashmir by Christopher Snedden.
Also included in the list are books by academics and researchers such as Seema Kazi, Hafsa Kanjwal, David Devdas, and foreign scholars Piotr Balcerowicz and Agnieszka Kuszewska.
The books, many of which have been published by leading houses like Penguin, HarperCollins, Bloomsbury, and Routledge, can no longer be printed or distributed under the current order.
