Indian forces arrest four Kashmiris in IIOJK
Facial recognition surveillance raises rights concerns
Srinagar, July 08 (KMS): Indian forces arrested four persons, including three Kashmiri youth, in separate incidents in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir through a facial recognition system drawing fresh concerns over mass surveillance and arbitrary arrests.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian police arrested three Kashmiri youth during a search operation in the Sarbal area after the Facial Recognition System (FRS), deployed for the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, allegedly generated alerts regarding their movement.
Officials said the youth were stopped while passing through the area, and were subsequently taken into custody for further legal proceedings.
Political and human rights observers said the increasing use of facial recognition technology has become another tool for profiling and targeting Kashmiri youth. They maintained that the opaque surveillance system lacks transparency and judicial oversight, enabling authorities to detain individuals on the basis of so-called facial recognition alerts without publicly disclosing any credible evidence of wrongdoing. They warned that such practices violate fundamental rights to privacy, due process and freedom of movement, and contribute to an atmosphere of fear in the occupied territory.
Meanwhile, Indian police also arrested the driver of a vehicle that hit and injured three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel near the Taingan Bypass in the Nowgam area of Srinagar.
