BJP using LG rule to tighten suppression in IIOJK: Analysts
Srinagar: Analysts have said the BJP-led Indian government is intensifying organized suppression in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir by steadily transferring powers from the elected administration to the New Delhi-appointed Lieutenant Governor under the pretext of security concerns.
According to Kashmir Media Service, on May 7, 2026, the Indian government authorized the IIOJK Lieutenant Governor to exercise sweeping powers over telecommunication services, including interception, suspension and decryption during public safety emergencies and national security events.
Observers said these powers were previously held by state governments under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. They pointed out that this is the second time since the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, that the powers of the elected government have been curtailed by the Indian government.
Analysts said that after abrogating Article 370 in 2019, the BJP regime extended 106 central laws to the occupied territory and later expanded the Lieutenant Governor’s powers over police, public order and All India Services ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections.
Political observers maintained that the people of IIOJK are being punished for not electing a BJP Chief Minister and that the continued transfer of powers to the Lieutenant Governor is evidence of BJP’s organized suppression against Kashmiris.
