800 more Kashmiris face fresh crackdown as VPN use criminalised in IIOJK
Srinagar: In yet another brazen assault on freedom of expression and digital privacy, Indian authorities have intensified a sweeping crackdown in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir by identifying around 800 people for using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), a move widely seen as part of India’s policy to silence dissent and impose total information control in the territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the IIOJK authorities have imposed a two-month blanket ban on the use of so-called “unauthorised” VPN services across the Kashmir Valley, invoking vague pretexts of public safety, cyber security and law and order. The ban has effectively criminalised digital tools that Kashmiris use to access information, communicate securely and express opinions in an environment of pervasive surveillance.
Indian Police officials admitted that mass monitoring and verification drives have been launched across the Valley, leading to the identification of hundreds of internet users. In districts such as Budgam, Shopian and Sopore, police subjected residents—mostly youth—to technical scrutiny, background verification and intimidation for merely attempting to protect their online privacy.
During the drive, cases were registered and legal proceedings initiated against several individuals under newly imposed legal provisions, while dozens were summoned, questioned and bound down, creating fear and psychological pressure. Observers say the deliberate linking of VPN use with “terror-related” allegations is meant to stigmatise ordinary Kashmiris and justify repression.
Civil liberties advocates say the VPN ban exposes India’s real intent: to seal Kashmir’s digital space, suppress independent thought, block access to alternative narratives and punish those who attempt to bypass state-controlled information channels. Analysts maintain that the move violates internationally recognised rights to freedom of expression, access to information and privacy, and reflects India’s growing intolerance of dissent in IIOJK. They warn that such coercive measures will further alienate the population and deepen resentment against prolonged occupation.
Meanwhile, reports said that similar prohibitory orders have been extended to parts of the Jammu region, indicating that the digital crackdown is being expanded beyond the Valley.
