Among the 25 banned books is one by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, one of India’s most famous living authors.
Police in Indian-administered Kashmir have raided bookshops after authorities earlier this week banned 25 books, saying works like those by Booker Prize-winning writer Arundhati Roy propagate “false narratives” and “secessionism” in the contested Muslim-majority region.
In compliance with the order, police officials on Thursday also searched roadside book vendors and other establishments dealing in printed publications in the main city of Srinagar and across multiple locations in the region to confiscate the banned literature, police said. However, officials didn’t specify if they had seized any such material.
“The operation targeted materials promoting secessionist ideologies or glorifying terrorism,” police said in a social media statement. “Public cooperation is solicited to uphold peace and integrity.”
The raids came after the government accused the writers of propagating “false narratives” about Kashmir, “while playing a critical role in misguiding the youth” against the Indian state.
