Srinagar: India has further tightened its iron grip on Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out coordinated raids at six locations across Sopore, Bandipora and Srinagar.
According to Beyond the Time News, NIA teams, backed by Indian Police and paramilitary forces, conducted simultaneous search operations at residential and other premises in north and central Kashmir, in yet another move reflecting New Delhi’s policy of intimidation, collective punishment and repression under the garb of so-called “terror investigations”.
Observers say such operations have increasingly become tools to harass civilians, traumatize families and criminalize entire communities in the occupied territory.
In Bandipora district, NIA personnel raided the residence of Mohammad Maqbool Mir, a retired schoolteacher from Ward No. 04, Plan Bandipora. His son, Mubashir Maqbool Mir alias Shubu, is already detained under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The raid on the home of an elderly retired teacher has sparked anger among locals, who view it as an act of collective punishment and psychological pressure on families of detainees.
Similar raids were reported from Sopore and Srinagar, where residents said heavily armed personnel cordoned off localities, restricted movement and carried out intrusive searches, creating an atmosphere of fear and siege.
Civil society members and rights activists say the NIA has turned into a key instrument of repression in IIOJK, routinely using vague allegations, forced confessions and sweeping powers under UAPA to silence dissent, intimidate families and dismantle the social fabric of Kashmiri society.
They point out that thousands of Kashmiris—students, teachers, traders, journalists and political activists—have been booked under anti-terror laws in recent years, with raids and arrests often carried out without transparent evidence or due process.
The operation was still underway at the time of filing this report, with authorities indicating that more details may follow.
