Silencing Kashmir: The Ban on 25 Books and the Battle for Narrative, Identity, and Dissent

Jammu & Kashmir’s Ban on 25 Books: Freedom of Expression Under Threat Post-Article 370

By: Javid Amin | Srinagar | 06 Aug 2025

A Silent Ban, Loud Implications

On August 2025, the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) administration formally banned 25 books, including works by shaping voices like AG Noorani, Arundhati Roy, Sumantra Bose, and others. They were labeled as carriers of “false narratives,” “glorification of terrorism,” and “secessionist content,” under the newly enacted BNSS 2023 and BNS 2023 laws.

The ban arrived at a politically charged moment—amid the sixth anniversary of Article 370’s abrogation and just days before a Supreme Court hearing on J&K’s statehood status. The timing, critics say, sends a clear message: dissenting history is as unwelcome as political resistance.

Legal Grounding – BNSS, BNS, and the Architecture of Ban

• Section 98 of BNSS 2023 grants sweeping powers to block any publication deemed to threaten sovereignty or public order.

• Additional clauses under BNS 2023 §§152, 196, 197 criminalize “propaganda” and “undesirable historical narrative” with severe consequences—including imprisonment.

While the government claims to act on “credible intelligence” against radicalization, critics argue the legal framework lacks safeguards for academic freedom, peer-reviewed scholarship, and historical inquiry.

Cartography of Controversial Titles

Notable Works:

These books are not fringe polemics—they are well-researched, often cited across academia inside and outside India. Their banning reflects a shift toward pre-emptive narrative control.

Why This Matters – The Governance of Memory

01. Reinscribing the Official History

When history becomes a controlled commodity, citizens lose the right to explore multiple truths. Banning these books narrows historical imagination and public discourse.

02. Effect on Youth and Academia

Suddenly textbooks, research, or academic syllabi that cite these works are rendered questionable. Students and scholars face legal risk even when engaging with banned texts for critical analysis.

03. Cultural Alienation

Many Kashmiris view these bans as renewed cultural suppression—preventing access to narratives that validate their experience.

Contextual Timing – Coincidence or Strategy?

This ban lands amid:

• The Aniversary of Article 370’s abrogation, a date of profound significance.

• A pending Supreme Court hearing on August 8, urging timebound restoration of statehood.

• Ongoing protests, politically charged rhetoric, and the rise of debates over federalism.

The alignment is too precise to ignore—a calculated assertion that dissent may outlast autonomy.

Voices in the Valley – From Librarians to Lawyers

• A university librarian in Srinagar shared: “We had to remove copies overnight. Students feel their education is being erased.”

• A Kashmiri academic told us: “My classroom examples are now ambiguous; quoting these authors is risky.”

• Local bookstore owner in Anantnag: “Many booksellers now refuse titles listed—even second-hand or international orders.”

Government’s Position – Protecting Integrity

Officials argue:

• Books were found to contain “youth-radicalizing content.”

• Intelligence inputs linked certain narratives to extremist recruitment.

• The ban is tailored, not ideological: only the titles specified are affected, as per official notifications.

They assert publishing misinformation is not a matter of academic disagreement, but threats to public order.

The Constitutional Pincer – Free Speech vs. Sovereignty

India’s Constitution guarantees free speech—conditional to reason and breach. But BNSS/BNS grants discretionary authority far broader than historic sedition laws.

The pending August 8 hearing offers a moment to test whether India’s constitutional safeguards hold strong in contested regions.

Comparative Lens – Global Panopticon of Knowledge Control

• China bans books on Tibet and Uyghurs.

• Turkey restricts Kurdish literature.

• Russia suppresses texts questioning the Ukraine conflict.

While not identical in scale, the J&K ban fits within a global pattern: controlling narrative = controlling dissent.

Impacts on Prisons, Libraries & Digital Ecosystems

• Many prisons canceled reading programs citing legal risk.

• Public university libraries removed these books overnight.

• Online retailers have delisted them, and educational websites now face site blocks.

This forms a knowledge vacuum with immediate chilling effects.

The Public Response – Gradations of Resistance

• Pro-democracy collectives are circulating PDF versions underground.

• Diaspora students and Indian universities have offered secure digital access to banned texts.

• Social media campaigns protest hashtags like #ReadBannedBooks and petitions to challenge the legality of Section 98.

Historical Memory – What Sits Behind the Ban

Many of the banned works discuss key events:

• 1990 exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.

• Human rights abuses during the insurgency.

• Slow erosion of constitutional safeguards post-1953.

Penalizing these narratives reinforces a one-sided official memory.

What Happens Next – Legal Paths and Political Reckoning

Possible avenues:

• A Constitutional challenge on grounds of vagueness or overbreadth.

• Academic institutions resisting quietly.

• International media and rights bodies heighten scrutiny.

• Isolated pushback in Indian courts referencing freedom of speech jurisprudence.

None guarantee reversals, but cumulative resistance could shape policy over time.

Call to Action – Why This Moment Demands Attention

• Legal precedent: allowing such bans may empower broader narrative control across India.

• Public memory: literature is key to forging historical reconciliation.

• Democratic integrity: asking citizens to forfeit access to contested ideas threatens civic openness.

List of Banned Books

Bottom-Line: Knowledge Bans in the Age of Aftermath

A six‑year arc since Article 370’s revocation reflects a Kashmir that is simultaneously open and locked—booming in tourism, yet shrinking in rights; carving infrastructure, yet constraining speech. When the state bans its history, it silences more than words—it silences future possibilities.

This isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about the right to think, reflect, and debate what Jammu & Kashmir is and could become.

As long as books like The Dismantled State and Azadi remain banned, the promise of statehood, freedom, and full participation will continue to hang in suspended judgment.