India plans tighter surveillance, control of tourist sites across IIOJK
Srinagar: Indian authorities are seeking to further tighten surveillance and military controls of tourist destinations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, with an Indian parliamentary panel recommending an “integrated system of CCTV cameras and centralised monitoring at major tourist sites”.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the recommendation was made in the 260th report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, presented in the Indian Parliament. The committee had visited IIOJK in May 2026 to assess the situation at key tourist destinations.
The panel called for comprehensive CCTV coverage at important tourist locations, linked to a central monitoring mechanism, along with regular vulnerability assessments and periodic security audits.
The committee said tourism in IIOJK was directly linked to perceptions of situation and warned that any security lapse could adversely affect the tourism sector.
The panel further called for a shift from conventional security deployment towards technology-driven surveillance and coordinated monitoring, saying such measures would strengthen preparedness before the tourist season.
The recommendations are likely to further expand the already extensive surveillance infrastructure across the occupied territory, where Indian forces and agencies maintain a heavy buildup.
The move comes amid continued militarisation and restrictions on civil liberties in IIOJK, with residents frequently subjected to checkpoints, searches, surveillance and other security measures in the name of maintaining security.
The parliamentary panel’s recommendations indicate that instead of addressing the underlying political dispute and restoring the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people, Indian authorities continue to rely heavily on expanded surveillance mechanisms in the occupied territory.
