Jammu and Kashmir Police Search Bookshops for “Forfeited” Books

• Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted extensive searches of bookshops across the Kashmir Valley to seize copies of 25 books declared “forfeited” by the Lieutenant-Governor’s administration.

• The move sparked reactions from authors and political parties.

• The J&K Home Department invoked Section 98 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 to categorize the books as “forfeited.”

• Author Anuradha Bhasin criticized the Home Department’s categorization, stating the books were “well-researched” and did not glorify terrorism.

• Former Union Home Secretary Gopal Pillai and former Kashmir interlocutor Radha Kumar criticized the suppression of dissent through censorship.

• Former J&K Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti argued that censorship amplified the resonance of ideas, not silenced them.