India further tightens control over online expression in IIOJK
New cyber hub seen as tool to curb dissent, suppress digital freedoms
Srinagar: The Indian government has established a new Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (JK4C) in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a move critics say will further throttle freedom of expression and tighten surveillance of online activities in the disputed territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the newly created Cyber Crime Coordination Centre has been placed under the direct control of the Director General of Police and will function in coordination with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The centre will oversee cybercrime prevention, monitoring, investigation and enforcement across the occupied territory.
As part of the new arrangement, cybercrime-related matters have been separated from the Crime Wing and placed exclusively under the JK4C. The authorities have also merged two Zonal Cyber Crime Investigation Centres of Excellence and 23 District Cyber Police Stations into the new institution, creating a centralized mechanism for monitoring digital activities throughout the territory.
The occupation authorities have approved the Centre’s operational framework and directed the Police Headquarters to immediately deploy personnel until permanent appointments are made, ensuring the body becomes functional without delay.
Political observers and civil rights activists have expressed concern that the move is aimed less at combating cybercrime and more at expanding New Delhi’s surveillance apparatus in the occupied territory. They say the BJP-led regime has increasingly relied on digital surveillance, internet restrictions, social media monitoring and cyber laws to silence journalists, human rights defenders, political activists and ordinary Kashmiris who express dissent against Indian occupation.
Analysts noted that the establishment of the centralized cybercrime body follows years of internet shutdowns, social media censorship, arrests over online posts and increasing criminalization of digital expression in IIOJK. They warned that the new institution could further institutionalize restrictions on freedom of speech under the guise of cybersecurity.
Rights groups have repeatedly criticized India for using anti-terror and cyber-related laws to intimidate media professionals, raid newspaper offices, prosecute social media users and suppress independent reporting from the occupied territory. They have urged the international community to closely monitor the shrinking civic and digital space in IIOJK and hold India accountable for violations of internationally recognized rights to freedom of expression and access to information.
