Srinagar | A day after the Jammu and Kashmir government banned the publication of 25 books for “promoting false narratives and glorifying terrorism”, police on Thursday conducted raids at bookshops across the Valley to seize the literature and prevent its circulation.

According to an order issued by the Home Department, the books, including those written by famous authors like Moulana Moudadi, Arundhati Roy, A G Noorani, Victoria Schofield and David Devadas, propagate "secessionism" in J-K and need to be declared as "forfeited" in terms of Section 98 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023.

The move to ban the books drew flak from their authors and a section of political leaders who claimed that it was an attempt “to warn Kashmiris against free speech” and asserted that democracy thrives on the free exchange of ideas.

On Thursday, raids at bookshops were conducted in the districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, and Baramulla, police officials said.

They said police teams inspected and searched various bookshops in these districts for banned books following the government directive.

“The enforcement drives to seize radical literature were conducted in line with the government directives. The operation targeted materials promoting secessionist ideologies or glorifying terrorism,” the officials said.

“During the searches, bookshop owners were warned against stocking or distributing prohibited content. They were also sensitised about the legal consequences of violating these directives and instructed to strictly follow the guidelines,” the police officials added.

The police sought public cooperation to uphold peace and integrity.

Citizens are urged to stay away from such proscribed material and report any suspicious activity, including the circulation of banned literature, to the nearest police station, they said.

The order said 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".

It plays a critical role in "misguiding the youth, glorifying terrorism and inciting violence" against India, the order said.

PDP leader and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said that "censorship doesn't silence ideas, it amplifies their resonance”.

“Democracy thrives on the free exchange of ideas. Banning books cannot erase history, it only fuels division,” she said in a post on X.

“Suppressing democratic voices and fundamental freedoms deepens alienation and mistrust,” the PDP chief said.

The CPI-M termed the ban a "brazen attack on the freedom of expression".

Demanding immediate revocation of the ban, the CPI-M said in a statement, "The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) opposes the decision of the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir to ban 25 books. This censorship is yet another expression of authoritarianism and a brazen attack on the freedom of expression."

Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on X that banning books will not erase historical facts, but exposes "insecurities and limited understanding" of those behind such "authoritarian actions".

The books include 'Al Jihadul fil Islam' by Islamic scholar and founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, Moulana Moudadi, 'Independent Kashmir' by Australian author Christopher Snedden, 'In Search of a Future (The Story of Kasimir)' by David Devadas, 'Kashmir in Conflict (India, Pakistan and the unending War)' by Victoria Schofield, 'The Kashmir Dispute (1947-2012)' by A G Noorani, and 'Azadi' by Arundhati Roy.

"Some of the means by which this literature has contributed to the radicalisation of youth in J&K include distortion of historical facts, glorification of terrorists, vilification of security forces, religious radicalisation, promotion of alienation, pathway to violence and terrorism etc.," the government order said.

Reacting to the order, political scientist and author Sumantra Bose said that his chief objective has been "to identify pathways to peace" and rejected "any and all defamatory slurs" on his work.

"I have worked on Kashmir -- among many other subjects -- since 1993. Throughout, my chief objective has been to identify pathways to peace so that all violence ends and a stable future free of fear and war can be enjoyed by the people of the conflict region, of India as a whole, and the subcontinent.

"I am a committed and principled advocate of peaceful approaches and resolutions to armed conflicts, be it in Kashmir or elsewhere in the world," Bose told PTI.

Two of his books, "Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside a 21st-Century Conflict" and "Contested Lands", have been banned.

Anthropologist and scholar Angana Chatterjee's “Kashmir: A Case for Freedom”, co-authored with Tariq Ali, Hilal Bhat, Habbah Khatun, Pankaj Mishra and Arundhati Roy, is also on the list of banned books.

Chatterjee said that “authoritarian regimes ban books to assert and mobilise their power”.

“It attempts to place oppressed groups on notice, to warn Kashmiris against free speech, dissent, and against seeking acknowledgement and justice for the crimes of history detailed in the books that are now banned,” she said.