Key points
- Govt order accuses writers of propagating “false narratives” about IIOJK
- In February authorities seized Islamic literature from bookshops and homes
- Ban “only exposes the insecurities”: IIOJK leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
SRINAGAR: Indian authorities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have banned 25 books, including a work by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, saying the titles “excite secessionism”.
The government order accuses the writers of propagating “false narratives” about IIOJK, “while playing a critical role in misguiding the youth, glorifying terrorism and inciting violence” against the Indian state.
It follows orders in February when authorities seized Islamic literature from bookshops and homes.
The order was issued on Tuesday — the six-year anniversary of New Delhi’s imposition of direct rule — although the ban took time to be brought to wider attention.
Ban “exposes the insecurities”
IIOJK leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the ban “only exposes the insecurities and limited understanding of those behind such authoritarian actions”.
“Banning books by scholars and reputed historians will not erase historical facts and the repertoire of lived memories of people of Kashmir,” Farooq added.
The ban listed 25 books it said “have been identified that propagate false narrative and secessionism”, including Roy’s 2020 book of essays, “Azadi: Freedom, Fascism, Fiction”.
Roy, 63, is one of India’s most famous living authors, but her writing and activism, including her criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, has made her a polarising figure at home.
“Contravenes the constitution”
Historian Siddiq Wahid said the edict contravenes the constitution, “which allows for the freedoms of speech and expression”.
“The list of banned books numbers several that are authored and published by individuals and institutions whose reputations depend on supplying evidence, logic and argument towards the conclusions they draw,” Wahid told AFP.
“Does that count for anything anymore?”
