CPI-M terms ban on books in Kashmir an assault on democratic values
New Delhi: The Communist Party of India-Marxist has strongly opposed the ban imposed on 25 books in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, calling it an attack on democratic and secular principles.
According to Kashmir Media Service, CPI-M Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, V Sivadasan, in a statement in New Delhi, said the move by the Indian government was “very painful” and must be resisted by all democratic forces across the country.
“The ban should be opposed by democratic forces,” he emphasized, urging civil society, academics, and political parties to raise their voice against this form of censorship.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday declared 25 books as “forfeited,” accusing them of “promoting false narratives and glorifying terrorism.” The list includes works by internationally acclaimed authors and scholars such as Moulana Maududi, Arundhati Roy, A.G. Noorani, Victoria Schofield, Christopher Snedden, and David Devadas.
Among the banned titles are Al Jihadul fil Islam by Moulana Maududi, Independent Kashmir by Christopher Snedden, Azadi by Arundhati Roy, Kashmir in Conflict by Victoria Schofield, and The Kashmir Dispute (1947–2012) by A.G. Noorani.
The CPI-M leader condemned the ban as part of a wider campaign to control the narrative on Kashmir and erase the historical and political realities of the region.
Political analysts, rights groups, and literary circles see the move as a systematic attempt to marginalize critical voices and suppress Kashmir’s documented history through state-imposed censorship.
