Police survey of mosques triggers unease in J&K
After successfully busting the White Collar terror module involved in the 2025 Delhi bomb blast near the Red Fort, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has now launched random profiling of mosques, madrassas and persons associated with the management of these religious institutions in the Kashmir valley to collect a comprehensive database.
A four-page proforma has been distributed by the police seeking highly personal and sensitive information, including private identification details, family particulars, financial information, phone details, digital and social-media profiles, passport details, travel history and even phone IMEI details and other personal data of all those connected with running and management of mosques. Besides the mosque’s ideological sect identification — Barelvi, Hanafi, Deobandi or Ahle-Hadith— is also being sought.
However, the survey has caused widespread anxiety among religious institutions, imams, Khateebs and the public in general.Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), the largest conglomerate of Islamic religious organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, has expressed deep concern and raised serious questions about the ongoing police exercise in the Valley seeking extensive and intrusive information regarding mosques, their management committees, imams, khatibs and individuals associated with places of worship and even their family members. MMU also demanded that the elected Government must immediately intervene in this matter. Such an exercise must be stopped forthwith, as it undermines trust, creates fear among religious functionaries and sends a disturbing message to the Muslim community of the StateKashmir-based political parties and their leaders have also reacted to the recent survey launched by the police in the valley.
National Conference leader Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday said the profiling of mosques, madrassas and Imams by police in Jammu and Kashmir was an infringement of the religious freedom guaranteed under the Constitution.“There are already so many layers of surveillance, by CID, IB and the paramilitary forces. This intimidation and surveillance is an infringement of the right to practice religion guaranteed by the Constitution,” Mehdi, the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, told reporters here.
PDP MLA from Pulwama Waheed Para, while raising concern, said that no religion should be targeted under any pretext. He said profiling of mosques and clerics is wrong and will only widen existing gaps in society.
Para demanded that the Government withdraw the circular related to the profiling of mosques and religious preachers, stating that the process must be ended immediately. He said such steps undermine social harmony and constitutional values.“We condemn these actions and urge the Government to reconsider its decisions in the larger interest of peace and trust,” Para said
According to official sources, a four-page proforma has been given to village numberdars (village-level revenue department employees) for getting the details of mosques, madrassas, imams (prayer leaders), teachers and management committee members of these institutions.The survey also seeks details regarding the structure of the mosque, including the number of floors, approximate construction cost and source of funds for its construction.
It further seeks details about the monthly budget of the mosques, their bank account details, and how they are managed, as well as about the nature of land (state, milkiyat or shamilaat) on which the mosques are constructed.
