New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- The Jammu and Kashmir government has banned 25 books, claiming they promote a "false narrative and secessionism" in the Union Territory. Among the banned titles are Azadi by author Arundhati Roy, The Kashmir Dispute 1947-2012 by constitutional expert A.G. Noorani, and political scientist Sumantra Bose's Kashmir at the Crossroads and Contested Lands.

According to a notification issued by the Home Department on Tuesday (August 5), the ban was based on "credible evidence" that such content-often presented as historical or political analysis-has contributed to "youth participation violence and terrorism."

"This literature would deeply impact the psyche of youth by promoting culture of grievance, victimhood and terrorist...