J&K Police Seize Hundreds of Books Of Moulana Syed Abul Ala Moududi

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police have seized hundreds of books published in New Delhi and linked to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami outfit from several stores in Srinagar, officials reported on Friday (February 14).

“Acting on credible intelligence about the secret sale and distribution of literature promoting the ideology of a banned organization, police conducted searches in Srinagar, resulting in the seizure of 668 books. Legal proceedings have been initiated under Section 126 of the BNSS,” the Srinagar district police stated in a post on X.

Under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, an executive magistrate can require an individual to justify why they should not be ordered to sign a bond or bail bond to maintain peace for a period of up to one year.

A bookstore owner in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, the city’s main commercial hub, told The Wire that police arrived at the shop around 3:30 pm on Thursday.

“They asked about the books we stocked, mentioning a ban on certain titles. Later, they seized some books by Maududi and Islahi,” the store owner said on condition of anonymity.

Background on Jamaat-e-Islami and Book Seizure

Abul A’la Maududi, a Pakistani Islamic scholar and historian, founded Jamaat-e-Islami, with its J&K chapter established in 1952. Amin Ahsan Islahi, another prominent Pakistani scholar, was also a founding member of the group.

Sources indicate that most of the seized books were published by MMI Publishers, a Delhi-based publisher specializing in religious literature since 1948. Some of these books are considered key texts of Jamaat-e-Islami J&K, which was banned by the BJP-led central government under anti-terror laws on February 28, 2019.

The ban was imposed just two weeks after the Pulwama terror attack on February 14, 2019, in which a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, killing nearly 50 soldiers.

In 2024, the Union government extended the ban for another five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, stating that the group remains involved in “promoting terrorism and anti-India propaganda to fuel secessionism in J&K.”

Political Reactions and Resistance

The move to seize the books has sparked criticism. People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti called it an attack on the “freedom to read.”

Senior National Conference (NC) leader and Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi also opposed the raids, arguing they interfere with religious matters in the region.

Last year, a faction of former and serving Jamaat-e-Islami members contested the J&K assembly elections, ending a 30-year boycott of the electoral process. While most mainstream parties welcomed this move, the ruling NC remained opposed.

Ghulam Qadir Lone, a former Jamaat general secretary who had urged an end to the election boycott, led an eight-member panel in talks with the Union government to lift the ban on the group. Reports suggest that these talks were facilitated by a Kashmiri politician allied with the BJP.

However, the discussions faced resistance from active Jamaat members, including its current president, Hameed Fayaz, who remains imprisoned following the revocation of Article 370 and J&K’s reorganization into two Union territories.

In the 2024 elections, Lone’s son Kalimullah Lone also ran but was defeated by Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh of the Awami Ittehad Party. Apart from Sayar Ahmed Reshi, who contested in Kulgam, all Jamaat-backed candidates lost their security deposits.

Jamaat-e-Islami: A History of Bans

Jamaat-e-Islami J&K has faced multiple crackdowns over the years. It was first banned by the Indira Gandhi-led government in 1975 during the Emergency, when J&K was ruled by NC founder Sheikh Abdullah. Historians suggest Abdullah viewed the group as a political rival.

The organization was banned again in the early 1990s amid rising insurgency in Kashmir, with its members targeted by Ikhwan, a government-backed militia. The ban was lifted in 2004 under the PDP-Congress coalition led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

Now, with renewed restrictions and ongoing legal actions, Jamaat-e-Islami remains at the center of political and security debates in J&K.