Srinagar, August 08 : The ban on 25 books in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir is “regrettable” and an attempt to warn Kashmiris against free speech, authors and scholars reacted to the order of the authorities to forfeit these publications. 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. 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. The occupied Jammu and Kashmir authorities have banned certain books, including those written by famous authors like Maulana Moududi, Arundhati Roy, A G Noorani, Victoria Schofield, Sumantra Bose and David Devadas.
Reacting to the order, political scientist and author Sumantra Bose said that his chief objective has been "to identify pathways to peace" and rejected "any and all defamatory slurs" in his work.
"I have worked on Kashmir -- among many other subjects -- since 1993. Throughout, my chief objective has been to identify pathways to peace so that all violence ends and a stable future free of fear and war can be enjoyed by the people of the conflict region, of India as a whole, and the subcontinent.
"I am a committed and principled advocate of peaceful approaches and resolutions to armed conflicts, be it in Kashmir or elsewhere in the world," said Bose. Two of his books, "Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside a 21st-Century Conflict" and "Contested Lands", have been banned.
Anthropologist and scholar Angana Chatterjee's “Kashmir: A Case for Freedom”, co-authored with Tariq Ali, Hilal Bhat, Habbah Khatun, Pankaj Mishra and Arundhati Roy, is also on the list of banned books.
Chatterjee said that “authoritarian regimes ban books to assert and mobilise their power”. “...as they govern through suppression, fear, and violence.... Ghettoising and demonising writers blatantly censor the local knowledge and critical insight they put forward,” she said. “It attempts to place oppressed groups on notice, to warn Kashmiris against free speech, dissent, and against seeking acknowledgement and justice for the crimes of history detailed in the books that are now banned,” she said.
The books include “Al Jihadul fil Islam” by Islamic scholar and founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, Moulana Moudadi, “Independent Kashmir” by Australian author Christopher Snedden, “In Search of a Future (The Story of Kasimir)” by David Devadas, “Kashmir in Conflict (India, Pakistan and the unending War)” by Victoria Schofield, “The Kashmir Dispute (1947-2012)” by A G Noorani, and “Azadi” by Arundhati Roy.
Another author David Devadas said that the ban “is regrettable, for banning books goes against the grain of our democratic ideals, and our civilisational ethos”.
“My book strongly advocates peace, dialogue and democracy in the spirit of (then) Prime Minister Vajpayee's peace process, which had reached fruition around the time my book was completed. I fully backed that peace process.
Author Anuradha Bhasin took to social media to defend the books. “I've read most of these books and written one. They're well researched and not one glorifies terrorism which this government claims to have ended. Scared of words challenging your lies!” she posted on X.
“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 All Parties Hurriyat Conference, civil society members, rights groups, and academics have strongly condemned the ban, terming it a targeted effort to erase Kashmir’s political history and silence authentic voices.
Senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a statement issued in Srinagar said censorship of scholarly works cannot erase historical truths or the collective memory of Kashmiris. He said banning such books only exposes New Delhi’s insecurity and its obsession with narrative control.
PDP President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar has said that “censorship and curbs on democratic freedoms was taking place in the region.” In a post on X, Mehbooba said that democracy thrives on the free exchange of ideas and warned that banning books cannot erase history but only fuels division. She added that suppressing democratic voices and fundamental rights in Kashmir deepens alienation and mistrust among the people. “Censorship doesn’t silence ideas it amplifies their resonance,” she remarked.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly opposed the recent decision of the Jammu and Kashmir BJP LG administration to ban 25 books, calling it a direct attack on freedom of expression. CPI(M) Polit Bureau in New Delhi said “the ban is another example of censorship being used to suppress dissent and critical thought.”
The party said curbing fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution was not acceptable.
The CPI(M) has demanded that the ban be revoked immediately. It also reiterated its long-standing demand for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and return of full democratic rights to its people. “The region must have an elected government with full administrative powers. Only then can public trust be restored,” the party added
Communist Party of India-Marxist Member of Indian parliament V Sivadasan has also called the ban a painful attack on democratic and secular values.
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.