On Wednesday, police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district conducted searches at local bookshops to seize 25 books that were recently banned by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.
A police officer stated that the searches were carried out based on a directive to forfeit the books for “promoting false narratives and secessionism.” The searches were conducted at multiple locations, but no banned books were found in any of the premises.
The officer added that bookshop owners were informed about the directive and warned against stocking or selling the prohibited material.
Last week, the Jammu and Kashmir administration banned the publication of these 25 books for “promoting false narratives and glorifying terrorism.” The Home Department issued an order to declare the books as forfeited under Section 98 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023. The list of banned books includes titles by well-known authors such as Moulana Moudadi, Arundhati Roy, A.G. Noorani, Victoria Schofield, and David Devadas.
