SRINAGAR (Kashmir English): A day after the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir administration ordered the forfeiture of 25 books, the Indian police have launched a valley-wide search of bookstores to ensure compliance with the ban.
Police teams, as per the details, visited several bookstores in Srinagar, Sopore, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kulgam and other towns, verifying inventory and removing any listed titles that had been declared as “forfeited” under Section 98 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
Officials said the searches are being conducted that no banned material remains in circulation or reaches the public domain. “Bookstore owners have been directed to cooperate and immediately report any stock of the listed books.”
Banned books
The authorities on Wednesday announced the forfeiture of 25 books by authors such as Arundhati Roy, Piotr Balcerowicz, Hafsa Kanjwal, Christopher Snedden, Mohammad Yosuf Saraf and Essar Batool.
Few days back, the BJP-led Hindutva government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ordered the seizure of 25 books, claiming they promote a separatist ideology.
The move was aimed to suppress dissent and control the narrative in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued an official directive stating that the books in question distort historical facts, defame security forces, and allegedly incite violence, thereby radicalizing the youth.
The order claimed that these publications pose a threat to national integrity and public order, and should therefore be confiscated immediately.
