India bans Kashmir books for backing 'secessionism'

Dozens of stores raided by police as 25 titles now barred

- ALISHA RAHAMAN SARKAR

Indian police raided bookstores in the restive Himalayan region of Kashmir after authorities banned 25 books for allegedly promoting a “false narrative and secessionism”.

The books were banned earlier this week by the provincial administration of lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, who was appointed by Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.

The order banning the books threatens people with jail time for selling or owning works by authors like Booker prizewinning novelist Arundhati Roy, constitutional scholar AG Noorani, and historians Christopher Snedden, Sumantra Bose and Victoria Schofield.

The “identified 25 books have been found to excite secessionism and endangering sovereignty and integrity of India [sic]”, the order, issued by Kashmir’s home department, said, adding that such works of scholarship played “a critical role in misguiding the youth, glorifying terrorism and inciting violence against [the] Indian state”.

The action was taken following “investigations and credible intelligence” about “systemic dissemination of false narratives and secessionist literature” that was “often disguised as historical or political commentary”, it said.

The order declared the 25 books “forfeit” under India’s criminal code, effectively banning them from circulation and possession in Kashmir.