Censorship – Publications

The move has sparked a debate on censorship, intellectual freedom, and security in the region, with political voices and academics raising concerns over the implications of such actions.

In a fresh crackdown on literature linked to banned organizations, Jammu and Kashmir Police have seized 668 books from bookstores in Srinagar, citing concerns over their ideological content.

The operation, conducted on Thursday, was based on what officials described as “credible intelligence” about the clandestine sale and distribution of literature associated with Jamaat-e-Islami, a proscribed organization. Legal proceedings have been initiated under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

Most of the books seized by the police in Srinagar have been published by MMI Publishers, a Delhi-based publisher of religious books that was founded in 1948. Some of the books seized comprise the essential literature of the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu Kashmir.