Kashmir Book Ban Exposes India’s Authoritarian Grip and Threat to Free Speech

In a move that starkly illustrates the growing authoritarian overreach in India-administered Kashmir, the regional Home Department has banned 25 books by well-known writers and scholars, accusing them of promoting “false narratives” and “secessionism.” These sweeping restrictions come amid a broader campaign by New Delhi to consolidate control over this disputed territory through information suppression rather than genuine reconciliation. The banned works include titles by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, constitutional expert A.G. Noorani, and respected historians such as Sumantra Bose and Christopher Snedden. The order brands these intellectual contributions as threats to India’s sovereignty, criminalizing possession or sale with...