Fresh wave of raids, detentions sweeps across Kashmir Valley
Over 500 picked up as police target civilians on one pretext or another
Srinagar: Indian police have launched an intensified crackdown across the Kashmir Valley, detaining over 500 people in what officials claim is an operation to dismantle the so-called “terror ecosystem,” while locals describe it as yet another wave of arbitrary detentions and harassment in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, massive cordon and search operations were carried out in Srinagar, Islamabad, Sopore, Kulgam, Handwara, and other districts during the past 24 hours. The campaign targets civilians labelled as Over Ground Workers (OGWs), sympathizers, and relatives of Kashmiris living in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Police said the move forms part of “preventive” measures aimed at tightening control over the occupied territory.
Officials confirmed that hundreds of people had been detained for questioning, with many booked under draconian laws such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
During the searches, digital devices and documents were seized, while several relatives and associates of pro-freedom leaders and activists were detained under preventive detention laws. Similar actions were also reported from Jammu region.
Locals, however, termed the ongoing raids as a continuation of India’s repressive policy to silence dissent and instill fear. They said these operations—often conducted on vague intelligence inputs—disrupt daily life, violate basic rights, and deepen the sense of insecurity among Kashmiris.
