India bans 25 books to control narrative: Scholars
Mirwaiz says Delhi can't erase Kashmir’s truth through censorship
#BanOnBooksInIIOJK and #ModiBansTruthInKashmir
Srinagar: In a sweeping move to throttle intellectual freedom and suppress the truth about the Kashmir dispute, India has ordered the confiscation of 25 books in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, claiming they pose a threat to “India’s integrity”.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Civil society, academics and rights groups have condemned the ban as part of a broader strategy to silence Kashmiri voices, whitewash India’s crimes, and control the territory’s narrative through brute censorship.
Senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, reacting strongly to the ban, in a statement issued in Srinagar said: “Banning books by scholars and reputed historians will not erase historical facts and the repertoire of lived memories of people of Kashmir. It only exposes the insecurities and limited understanding of those behind such authoritarian actions, and the contradiction in proudly hosting the ongoing Book Festival to showcase its literary commitment!”
The APHC and other political groups said such repressive steps reflect India’s growing intolerance toward truth and resistance literature, which documents the suffering, aspirations, and legacy of the Kashmiri people.
Scholars have also denounced the ban as a desperate attempt to bury the truth. Banning books that narrate Kashmiris’ pain exposes Modi regime’s authoritarian mindset, they said. “This is not about national security; it is about narrative control,” said Professor Andrabi, a retired educationist. “India wants to erase the memory, the pain, and the political history of Kashmiris.”
Dr. Hussain, a prominent political analyst, said the order reflects the Modi regime’s fear of documented truths. “When a state fears books, it reveals how fragile its claim over Kashmir is. No ban can silence historical facts or lived realities.”
The banned books include critical works authored by reputed Kashmiri, Indian, and international writers. These are:
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The Kashmir Dispute: A Dismantled State — A G Noorani
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A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir after Article 370 — Anuradha Bhasin
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Azadi — Arundhati Roy
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Resisting Disappearance — Ather Zia
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Mujahid Ki Azaan — Hasan Al Banna Shaheed
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Independent Kashmir — Christopher Snedden
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In Search of a Future (The Story of Kashmir) — David Devadas
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Kashmir Politics and Plebiscite — Dr Abdul Jabbar Gockhami
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Tarikh-i-Siyasat — Dr Afaq Aziz
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USA and Kashmir — Dr Shamshad Shan
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Do You Remember Kunan-Poshpora? — Essar Batool, Ifrah Butt, Munaza Rashid, Natasha Rather, and Samreena Mushtaq
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Colonizing Kashmir: State-building Under Indian Occupation — Hafsa Kanjwal
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Resisting Occupation in Kashmir — Haley Duschinski, Mona Bhan, Ather Zia, Cynthia Mahmood
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Kashmiris’ Fight for Freedom — Muhammed Yusuf Saraf
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Al Jihadul fil Islam — Sayyid Abul Aala Maududi
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Human Rights Violation in Kashmir — Piotr Balcerowicz and Agnieszka Kuszewska
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Law and Conflict Resolution in Kashmir — Piotr Balcerowicz and Agnieszka Kuszewska
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Freedom in Captivity — Radhika Gupta
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Between Democracy and Nation: Gender and Militarisation in Kashmir — Seema Kazi
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Confronting Terrorism — Edited by Maroof Raza
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Kashmir and The Future of South Asia — Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal
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Contested Lands — Sumantra Bose
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Kashmir at the Crossroads — Sumantra Bose
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Kashmir (The Case of Freedom) — Tariq Ali, Hilal Bhatt, Angana P Chatterjee, Pankaj Mishra, Arundhati Roy
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Kashmir in Conflict (India, Pakistan and the unending war) — Victoria Schofield
