Global rights groups criticize India’s ban on 25 books on Kashmir

Global rights groups criticize India’s ban on 25 books on Kashmir
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Global rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), have condemned India’s ban on 25 books about Kashmir, Kashmir Media Service reported. The ban was enacted through a notification from the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department on August 5, 2025, which was the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.

Indian authorities claim the books “glorify terrorism,” “incite secessionism,” and promote “false narratives” that could mislead youth. The ban allows for the seizure of these publications from both public and private collections.

Critics, including the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC.in) and Al Jazeera, argue that the ban is an attack on freedom of expression, academic freedom, and access to information. They state that the move is an effort to suppress dissenting views and rewrite the historical narrative of the region.

The banned books include works by internationally recognized authors and scholars such as Arundhati Roy, Hafsa Kanjwal, and Victoria Schofield. Kanjwal, whose book was among those banned, stated that the ban shows the Indian government’s “fragility and insecurity” regarding Kashmir.

This ban is part of a broader pattern of repression in Kashmir since the revocation of its special constitutional status in 2019. The ban has led to police raids on bookstores and is seen by rights groups as an effort to silence critics and control the narrative surrounding the region.