The administration in Indian-controlled Kashmir has ordered simultaneous inspections and a comprehensive audit of books and digital archives in all government libraries and educational institutions. The July 28, 2026 report said the measure aims to identify and confiscate material deemed anti-state or as inciting terrorism. Authorities instructed institutions to review complete inventories of books, journals, reference works and digital materials.

The directive says material opposing India’s sovereignty, unity and integrity, or encouraging separatism, violence or extremism, cannot be collected, distributed or kept. The audit followed objections from BJP leaders to two books distributed recently to about 250 schools under the government-funded Samagra Shiksha project. BJP opposition leader Sunil Sharma alleged the books used the phrase “Indian-occupied Kashmir.”

Administrative chief Manoj Sinha suspended eight School Education Department officials and ordered an investigation into the matter and the authors. The publishers of the two disputed books were blacklisted, with instructions to withdraw their other books from the market. Local teachers, researchers and residents criticized the action as a threat to academic freedom and Kashmir’s history. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said banning books would not erase memories of Kashmiris’ history and struggle.

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck the Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh regions at midnight. The tremor, with its epicenter in Kargil, occurred around 3:00 AM local time on Friday. According to India's National Center for Seismology, the earthquake originated at a depth of 15 kilometers. Authorities have reported no casualties or significant damage so far.