Indian authorities in Kashmir ban books by eminent writers and scholars

A Kashmir woman walks past a book store in Srinagar

Indian authorities have banned 25 books in Kashmir that they say propagate “false narratives” and “secessionism” in the disputed region, where strict controls on the press have escalated in recent years.

The ban threatens people with prison time for selling or owning works by authors such as Booker Prize-winning novelist and activist Arundhati Roy, constitutional expert A.G. Noorani, and noted academicians and historians like Sumantra Bose, Christopher Snedden and Victoria Schofield.

Booksellers could face prison

The order was issued earlier this week by the region’s Home Department, which is under the direct control of Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha, New Delhi’s top administrator in Kashmir.

Sinha wields substantial power in the region as the national government’s representative, while elected officials run a largely powerless government that came to power last year after the first local election since India stripped the disputed region of its special status in 2019.

The order declared the 25 books “forfeit” under India’s new criminal code of 2023, effectively banning the works from circulation, possession and access within the Himalayan region. Various elements of the code threaten prison terms of three years, seven years or even life for offenses related to forfeit media, although no one has yet been jailed under them.

“The identified 25 books have been found to excite secessionism and endangering sovereignty and integrity of India,” the Home Department said in its notice. It said such books played “a critical role in misguiding the youth, glorifying terrorism and inciting violence against 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.

Cracking down on dissent in Kashmir

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

Since 2019, authorities have increasingly criminalized dissent and shown no tolerance for any narrative that questions India’s sovereignty over Kashmir.

In February, police raided bookstores and seized hundreds of books linked to a major Islamic organization in the region.

In 2011, police filed charges against Kashmir education officials over a textbook for first graders that illustrated the word “tyrant” with a sketch resembling a police official. In some cases, the accused were freed after police questioning but most of these cases have lingered on in India’s notoriously slow judicial system.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a key resistance leader in Kashmir, condemned the book ban.

“Banning books by scholars and reputed historians will not erase historical facts and the repertoire of lived memories of people of Kashmir,” Mirwaiz said in a statement. He questioned authorities for organizing an ongoing book festival to showcase its literary commitment but on ground banning some books.

“It only exposes the insecurities and limited understanding of those behind such authoritarian actions, and the contradiction in proudly hosting the ongoing Book Festival.” AIJAZ HUSSAIN, SRINAGAR, MDT/AP