Overview

• The Jammu and Kashmir administration invoked Section 98 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 to forfeit 25 titles deemed to promote false narratives and secessionism.
• On August 11, Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted searches at multiple bookshops in Rajouri district, warning owners that trade in the prohibited works carries strict penalties.
• The banned list features prominent authors and titles such as Arundhati Roy’s Azadi, Hafsa Kanjwal’s Colonizing Kashmir and Sumantra Bose’s Contested Lands.
• Within hours of the Home Department’s order, PDF links to all 25 texts circulated online, complicating efforts to contain their distribution.
• Authors, rights groups and political figures including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have condemned the prohibition and are preparing legal challenges as a threat to academic freedom.