Latest news with #KashmirattheCrossroads'
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Will only fuel division': Kashmir police raid bookstores, seize banned titles; crackdown targets ‘subversive' literature
A view of a book store in Srinagar. (AP Photo) SRINAGAR: Police launched Thursday coordinated raids across Kashmir valley, seizing allegedly subversive books from bookstores and literary venues, including Chinar book festival underway at SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake. The crackdown followed J&K administration banning 25 titles under section 98 of BNSS. Police confiscated five copies of 'A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir After Article 370' by Anuradha Bhasin, two copies of 'The Kashmir Dispute, 1947–2012' by AG Noorani, and one copy of 'Kashmir at the Crossroads' by Sumantra Bose from bookstores in Srinagar. On Tuesday, the home department's order declared all copies of the listed books — whether held by people or organisations — liable to forfeiture, citing threats to national unity and sovereignty. The department reports to lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha. Press statements from district police headquarters described the action as part of an ongoing crackdown on publications allegedly promoting secessionist ideologies, glorifying terrorism, or disseminating distorted historical narratives. 'The objective of the operation was to identify, seize, and forfeit literature that propagates false narratives or poses a threat to the unity of India,' Srinagar police said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She Was The Dream Girl In The 1980s, Here She Is Now. Boite A Scoop Undo Police in Anantnag said inspections were carried out across all police station jurisdictions. The enforcement aimed to curb material 'that glorifies terrorism, vilifies security forces, or contributes to youth radicalisation,' a district statement read. Authorities urged people to report possession or circulation of banned content. The move drew sharp criticism from political and religious voices across the region. Ex-CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said: 'Democracy thrives on the free exchange of ideas. Banning books cannot erase history, it only fuels division.' Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Crackdown on ‘seditious' literature in J&K: Police seize banned books
SRINAGAR: Police launched Thursday coordinated raids across Kashmir valley, seizing allegedly subversive books from bookstores and literary venues, including Chinar book festival underway at SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake. The crackdown followed J&K administration banning 25 titles under section 98 of BNSS. Police confiscated five copies of 'A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir After Article 370' by Anuradha Bhasin, two copies of 'The Kashmir Dispute, 1947–2012' by AG Noorani, and one copy of 'Kashmir at the Crossroads' by Sumantra Bose from bookstores in Srinagar. On Tuesday, the home department's order declared all copies of the listed books — whether held by people or organisations — liable to forfeiture, citing threats to national unity and sovereignty. The department reports to lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha. Press statements from district police headquarters described the action as part of an ongoing crackdown on publications allegedly promoting secessionist ideologies, glorifying terrorism, or disseminating distorted historical narratives. 'The objective of the operation was to identify, seize, and forfeit literature that propagates false narratives or poses a threat to the unity of India,' Srinagar police said. Police in Anantnag said inspections were carried out across all police station jurisdictions. The enforcement aimed to curb material 'that glorifies terrorism, vilifies security forces, or contributes to youth radicalisation,' a district statement read. Authorities urged people to report possession or circulation of banned content. The move drew sharp criticism from political and religious voices across the region. CPM opposed the ban and demanded its immediate revocation. Former CM and opposition PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said: 'Democracy thrives on the free exchange of ideas. Banning books cannot erase history, it only fuels division.' Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq called the ban an 'exposure of insecurity and limited understanding' by those behind it. 'The contradiction lies in hosting a literary festival while silencing dissenting literature,' he said.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
J&K bans 25 books for promoting ‘false narratives and terrorism', including one by Arundhati Roy
The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered a ban on 25 books including those for allegedly propagating 'false narrative and secessionism' in the Union Territory. Arundhati Roy's 'Azadi'; constitutional expert AG Noorani's 'The Kashmir Dispute 1947–2012'; political scientist Sumantra Bose's 'Kashmir at the Crossroads' and 'Contested Lands' are among the 25 banned books. The government has ordered the forfeiture of 25 books, along with their copies and related documents.(Representative Image) A notification of the Home Department in Jammu and Kashmir issued on Tuesday (August 5), signed by Principal Secretary Chandraker Bharti, said credible evidence shows that false narratives and secessionist literature often disguised as historical or political commentary have played a key role 'behind youth participation violence and terrorism.' 'This literature would deeply impact the psyche of youth by promoting culture of grievance, victimhood and terrorist heroism. Some of the means by which this literature has contributed to the radicalization of youth in J&K include distortion of historical facts, glorification of terrorists, vilification of security forces, religious radicalization, promotion of alienation, pathway to violence and terrorism,' the notification reads. The government has declared 25 books by various publishing houses including Routledge, Stanford University Press, Oxford University Press as 'forfeited' under Section 98 of Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023. The government said that these books have been 'found to excite secessionism and endangering sovereignty and integrity of India', thereby, attracting the provisions of sections 152, 196 & 197 of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. While section 98 of BNSS 2023 gives power to the government to declare certain publications forfeited, Sections 152, 196, and 197 of the BNS 2023 deal with assault without grave provocation, obstruction of public servants, and failure to assist them when legally bound, respectively. The government has ordered the forfeiture of 25 books, along with their copies and related documents. This has come at a time when the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Friday, August 8, an application seeking directions to the central government to restore the statehood of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Incidentally, on August 5, 2019, the Centre scrapped Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into two Union territories.
