India bans 25 books in contested Kashmir for ‘secessionism'

Straits Times

3 days ago

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The ban listed 25 books it said 'have been identified that propagate false narrative and secessionism'.
SRINAGAR, India - Indian authorities in Kashmir have banned 25 books, including a piece of work by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, saying the titles 'excite secessionism' in the contested Muslim-majority region.
The government order accuses the writers of propagating 'false narratives' about Kashmir, 'while playing a critical role in misguiding the youth, glorifying terrorism and inciting violence' against the Indian state.
It follows orders in February when the
authorities seized Islamic literature from bookshops and homes.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and both claim the Himalayan territory in full.
Rebel groups have waged an insurgency since 1989 against Indian rule of Kashmir, demanding independence or its merger with Pakistan.
The order was issued on Aug 5 – the six-year anniversary of New Delhi's imposition of direct rule – although the ban took time to be brought to wider attention.
Chief cleric and separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the ban 'only exposes the insecurities and limited understanding of those behind such authoritarian actions'.
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'Banning books by scholars and reputed historians will not erase historical facts and the repertoire of lived memories of people of Kashmir,' Dr Farooq added.
In November 2024, Kashmir elected its first government since it was brought under New Delhi's direct control, as voters backed opposition parties to lead its regional assembly.
But the local government has limited powers and the territory continues, for all practical purposes, to be governed by a New Delhi-appointed administrator.
The ban listed 25 books it said 'have been identified that propagate false narrative and secessionism', including Roy's 2020 book of essays, Azadi: Freedom, Fascism, Fiction.
Roy, 63, is one of India's most famous living authors, but her writing and activism, including her trenchant criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, has made her a polarising figure at home.
Other banned books include titles by academics, including one of India's foremost Constitution experts, the late A.G. Noorani, and Professor Sumantra Bose, who teaches political science at the London School of Economics.
Historian Siddiq Wahid said the edict contravenes the Constitution, 'which allows for the freedoms of speech and expression'.
'The list of banned books numbers several that are authored and published by individuals and institutions whose reputations depend on supplying evidence, logic and argument towards the conclusions they draw,' he told AFP.
'Does that count for anything any more?' AFP