The Jammu & Kashmir Home Department banned 25 books alleging that they promote secessionism, glorify terrorism, and spread false narratives in the Union Territory
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IMRAN NISSAR
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have banned the publication, sale, and circulation of 25 books, including titles by prominent authors such as Arundhati Roy and AG Noorani, alleging that they promote secessionism, glorify terrorism, and spread false narratives in the Union Territory.
The order, issued on Aug 5 by Principal Secretary (Home) Chandraker Bharti, said the books attract provisions of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — including Sections 152, 196, and 197 — which deal with offences against the State and public order. The literature was found to “excite secessionism and endanger the sovereignty and integrity of India,” the order stated.
According to the notification, the banned books allegedly contribute to radicalisation by distorting historical facts, glorifying militants, vilifying security forces, promoting religious extremism, and inciting violence. It also said the material negatively impacts the “psyche of youth” by reinforcing “grievance, victimhood, and terrorist heroism.”
“Available evidence based on investigations and credible intelligence indicates that a significant driver behind youth participation in terrorism has been the systematic dissemination of such literature,” the order said.
The banned publications have been declared “forfeited” under Section 98 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, and authorities have been directed to seize all copies and related materials.
Among the titles listed are Azadi by Arundhati Roy, The Kashmir Dispute by AG Noorani, Independent Kashmir: An Incomplete Aspiration by Australian academic Christopher Snedden and The Dismantled State, The Untold Story of Kashmir After 370—books known for their critical take on India’s Kashmir policy. Several others include works by regional scholars and Islamist writers such as Kashmir—The Case for Freedom, Tarikh-I-Siyasat Kashmir and Al-Jihadul Fil Islam by Jamaat founder Moulana Moudadi.
The directive has been circulated to senior officials, including the Director General of Police, Additional Director General of Police (CID), all Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, and heads of relevant government departments.
The move comes amid the Union Territory administration’s broader efforts to curb narratives it considers harmful to national integration, particularly following the 2019 revocation of Article 370, which ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status.
Earlier raids
In February, police raided bookstores in Srinagar and confiscated over 600 books linked to proscribed Jamaat-e-Islamia.
According to police, the action followed credible intelligence inputs about the secret sale and circulation of literature advocating the ideology of a proscribed organisation.
Most of the seized titles were published by Markazi Maktaba Islami Publishers, a New Delhi-based publishing house linked to Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
Published on August 7, 2025
