23 More Kashmiri Youth Booked Under PSA Amid Mass Crackdowns in IIOJK

As India intensifies its repression in IIOJK, 23 more Kashmiri youth have been booked under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA), in a fresh attempt to crush pro-freedom sentiment.

The cycle of state repression in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) shows no signs of abating as Indian forces continue brutal cordon-and-search operations, sweeping raids, and mass arrests to suppress pro-freedom voices across the region.

In the latest wave of targeted repression, Indian police have booked 23 Kashmiri youth under the notorious Public Safety Act (PSA) in Srinagar alone. Those detained include: Saqib Shafi Wani, Waleed Aijaz Sheikh, Hashim Farooq Mir, Sayar Ahmad Sheikh, Tawseef Ahmad Khan, Showkat Ahmad Dar, Ali Mohammad Rather, Owais Farooq Lone, Musaib Ahmad Khan, Feroz Ahmad Najar, Shabbir Ahmad Ghulam, Sajid Shahnawaz Mir, Numan Qayoom Ganie, Owais Altaf Butt, Junaid Zahoor Bangroo, Muzaffar Farooq Mir, Uneeb Naseer Mir, Irfan Ahmad Seeru, Fahad Bashir Sidique, Zubair Ahmad Lone, Faizan Yaseen Sheikh, Ibrahim Rashid Ganie, and Abdul Hamid Ganie.

The youth have been detained under formal orders issued by the District Magistrate of Srinagar and shifted to far-off prisons in Poonch, Udhampur, and Kot Bhalwal, Jammu — a common tactic to disconnect detainees from their families and legal support networks.

Indian authorities are systematically targeting Kashmiri youth, accusing them of supporting the region’s legitimate demand for self-determination, recognized under international law. These arrests form part of a broader campaign of state-sponsored oppression that has intensified dramatically since the Pahalgam false flag operation on April 22.

More than 3,000 Kashmiris have been detained over the past few weeks, reflecting the Modi regime’s desperation to stifle all forms of dissent. Black laws like the PSA and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have become key instruments in India’s legal arsenal to detain individuals without trial or due process — often on vague or fabricated charges.

These ongoing mass detentions, accompanied by violent home raids and custodial abuses, lay bare the extent of India’s crackdown on civil liberties in IIOJK. The arbitrary nature of these arrests, especially the use of preventive detention laws without any substantive evidence, points to a deliberate state policy aimed at terrorizing the population and extinguishing Kashmiri identity and resistance.

Human rights defenders have strongly condemned the mass arrests, urging international organizations and UN bodies to take urgent notice of India’s systematic human rights violations. They argue that such repression not only violates international human rights conventions but also represents a form of collective punishment against an occupied population.

Despite India’s relentless campaign of intimidation and suppression, Kashmiris remain resolute in their pursuit of freedom and justice. The global community must act to hold India accountable for its actions before the crisis spirals further out of control.