J & K Govt Forfeits 25 Books For 'Propagating False Narrative, Secessionism'

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has declared 25 books as forfeited under Section 98 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, citing their role in propagating false narratives and secessionism in the Union Territory.

According to a notification (S.O. 203) issued by the Home Department, the government stated that it had come to its notice that certain literature propagates false narrative and secessionism in Jammu and Kashmir.“Available evidence based on investigations and credible intelligence unflinchingly indicate that a significant driver behind youth participation in violence and terrorism has been the systematic dissemination of false narratives and secessionist literature by its persistent internal circulation, often disguised as historical or political commentary, while playing a critical role in misguiding the youth, glorifying terrorism and inciting violence against Indian State,” the order reads.

“Such literature deeply impacts the psyche of youth by promoting a culture of grievance, victimhood, and terrorist heroism. The means by which this literature has contributed to radicalization include distortion of historical facts, glorification of terrorists, vilification of security forces, religious radicalization, promotion of alienation, and pathways to violence and terrorism.”

Acting under Section 98 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, the Government declared these books forfeited due to their threat to national integrity and public order.

“The books have also been found to excite secessionism and endanger the sovereignty and integrity of India, thereby attracting the provisions of Sections 152, 196, and 197 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023,” the order reads.

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The forfeited books include Human Rights Violations in Kashmir by Piotr Balcerowicz and Agnieszka Kuszewska; Kashmiri's Fight for Freedom by Mohd Yosuf Saraf; Colonizing Kashmir, State-Building under Indian Occupation by Hafsa Kanjwal; Kashmir Politics and Plebiscite by Dr. Abdul Jabbar; and Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? by Essar Batool and others.

Also on the list are Mujahid ki Azaan edited by Maulana Mohammad Enayatullah Subhani; Al Jihadul fil Islam by Moulana Moududi; Independent Kashmir by Christopher Snedden; Resisting Occupation in Kashmir by Haley Duschinski, Mona Bhat, Ather Zia, and Cynthia Mahmood; and Between Democracy and Nation (Gender and Militarization in Kashmir) by Seema Kazi.

Other titles include Contested Lands by Sumantra Bose; In Search of a Future (The Story of Kashmir) by David Devadas; Kashmir in Conflict (India, Pakistan and the Unending War) by Victoria Schofield; The Kashmir Dispute 1947–2012 by A.G. Noorani; Kashmir at the Cross Roads (Inside a 21st Century Conflict) by Sumantra Bose; and A Dismantled State (The Untold Story of Kashmir after Article 370) by Anuradha Bhasin.

The forfeited publications further include Resisting Disappearance (Military Occupation & Women's Activism in Kashmir) by Ather Zia; Confronting Terrorism edited by Stephen Pcohen and Maroof Raza; Freedom in Captivity (Negotiations of Belonging along Kashmiri Frontier) by Radhika Gupta; Kashmir (The Case for Freedom) by Tariq Ali, Hilal Bhatt, Angana P. Chatterji, Pankaj Mishra, and Arundhati Roy; and Azadi by Arundhati Roy.

Also named are USA and Kashmir by Dr. Shamshad Shan; Law & Conflict Resolution in Kashmir by Piotr Balcerowicz and Agnieszka Kuszewska; Tarikh-i-Siyasat Kashmir by Dr. Afaq; and Kashmir & the Future of South Asia edited by Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal.

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