Crackdown on ‘seditious’ literature in J&Okay: Police seize banned books | India News

SRINAGAR: Police launched Thursday coordinated raids throughout Kashmir valley, seizing allegedly subversive books from bookstores and literary venues, together with Chinar e book pageant underway at SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake. The crackdown adopted J&Okay administration banning 25 titles below part 98 of BNSS.Police confiscated 5 copies of “A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir After Article 370” by Anuradha Bhasin, two copies of “The Kashmir Dispute, 1947–2012” by AG Noorani, and one copy of “Kashmir at the Crossroads” by Sumantra Bose from bookstores in Srinagar.On Tuesday, the house division’s order declared all copies of the listed books — whether or not held by individuals or organisations — liable to forfeiture, citing threats to nationwide unity and sovereignty. The division stories to lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha.Press statements from district police headquarters described the motion as a part of an ongoing crackdown on publications allegedly selling secessionist ideologies, glorifying terrorism, or disseminating distorted historic narratives.“The objective of the operation was to identify, seize, and forfeit literature that propagates false narratives or poses a threat to the unity of India,” Srinagar police stated.Police in Anantnag stated inspections have been carried out throughout all police station jurisdictions. The enforcement aimed to curb materials “that glorifies terrorism, vilifies security forces, or contributes to youth radicalisation,” a district assertion learn. Authorities urged individuals to report possession or circulation of banned content material.The transfer drew sharp criticism from political and spiritual voices throughout the area. CPM opposed the ban and demanded its instant revocation. Former CM and opposition PDP president Mehbooba Mufti stated: “Democracy thrives on the free exchange of ideas. Banning books cannot erase history, it only fuels division.”Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq known as the ban an “exposure of insecurity and limited understanding” by these behind it. “The contradiction lies in hosting a literary festival while silencing dissenting literature,” he stated.