SIA, Indian Forces Raid Houses of Hurriyat Leaders, Activists in IIOJK: India’s Renewed Attack on Kashmiri Dissent

In a clear display of state-sponsored intimidation, the Modi government has unleashed its security forces on the political leadership and activists of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. A fresh wave of massive, planned raids conducted by the New Delhi-controlled State Investigation Agency (SIA), along with heavily armed paramilitary and police forces, has targeted the homes and families of Hurriyat leaders and Jamaat-e-Islami members across the valley. This aggressive operation is a planned political attack designed to crush all forms of disagreement and terrorize a population that continues to defy India’s illegal occupation.

A New Wave of State Repression

The recent actions are part of an organized campaign directed by New Delhi to make political opinions a crime and to frighten anyone associated with the peaceful struggle for self-determination in the occupied territory. This is not a new policy, but it represents a large and cruel increase in the Modi government’s efforts to force its will upon the Kashmiri people.

♦ A Deliberate Campaign to Crush Dissent: The raids show a clear intent to take apart the political and social structure of the Kashmiri resistance movement by targeting its most well-known figures and their supporters.

♦ Focus on Hurriyat and Jamaat-e-Islami Members: The specific targeting of these groups proves that the operation is aimed at silencing organized political voices rather than handling any real security threat.

The Machinery of Indian Oppression

The raids were led by the State Investigation Agency, a body directly controlled by the central government in New Delhi, which shows that this is a top-down policy of oppression. The heavy involvement of Indian paramilitary and police forces in these raids highlights the military nature of the occupation and the use of state security as a tool to terrorize civilians.

♦ Direct Control From New Delhi: The leadership of the SIA in these operations confirms that the orders are coming directly from the highest levels of the Indian government.

♦ The Use of Military Force Against Civilians: The heavy presence of armed paramilitary soldiers during raids on family homes shows a strategy of using military force to handle a political issue.

Targeting The Symbols of Resistance

The raid on the home of the highly respected and jailed senior Hurriyat leader, Mushtaqul Islam, was a very direct action. It sent a clear message that not even the families of jailed leaders are safe from state harassment and that any symbol of the freedom movement is a target for the Indian state.

♦ A Clear Message to Jailed Leaders: By targeting the home and family of a jailed leader, the Indian government is attempting to weaken the spirit of political prisoners and their supporters.

♦ An Attack on The Movement’s Political Identity: The attempt by Indian forces to forcibly remove the party office signboard was a symbolic act aimed at erasing the political identity of the Hurriyat.

A Campaign of Widespread Intimidation

These were not single incidents but a widespread and planned operation that stretched across north, central, and south Kashmir. The raids in Handwara, Sopore, Islamabad, Kulgam, and other areas show a complete plan to apply pressure on Hurriyat-linked individuals and their communities throughout the entire occupied region.

♦ A Planned Operation Across The Valley: The large number of raids conducted in different parts of Kashmir on the same day proves this was a pre-planned, large-scale operation of intimidation.

♦ Creating a Region-Wide Climate of Fear: The goal of such widespread actions is to ensure that no one who supports the cause of freedom feels safe, no matter where they live in the valley.

The Criminalization of Political Dissent

The reach of the raids went beyond political activists to include ordinary citizens, such as local SIM card vendors. This points to a broader strategy to create a climate of fear and suspicion within the general population, where any activity can be seen as suspicious and deserving of a violent state response.

♦ Treating Political Opinion as a Crime: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has stated that these raids are designed to crush the people’s peaceful struggle, showing that any form of political expression is being treated as a criminal act.

♦ Harassing Ordinary People to Break Social Bonds: By targeting small business owners like SIM card vendors, the Indian state is attempting to break the bonds of community and create an atmosphere of distrust.

Harassment as a Deliberate State Tactic

A key tactic used during the raids was the deliberate harassment of family members of the activists. This is a cruel and planned method designed to create mental pressure and discourage any future political activity by making the personal cost of disagreement too high for individuals and their loved ones.

♦ Using Families as Pawns in a Political Game: The targeting of family members, who have committed no crime, is a violation of basic human rights and a tool of force to punish political leaders.

♦ A Deliberate Effort to Break The People’s Spirit: The courage shown by Mushtaqul Islam’s family in resisting the removal of the signboard shows that this tactic, while cruel, may not be as effective as the Indian government hopes.

The Hurriyat’s Strong Condemnation

In a strong statement from Srinagar, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has forcefully condemned the fresh wave of raids. The APHC correctly identified these actions as part of India’s ongoing campaign of oppression to silence the Kashmiri voice and punish the people for demanding their rights.

♦ Calling The Raids a Campaign of Oppression: The APHC has exposed the raids for what they are, not a security operation but a political campaign of state-sponsored oppression.

♦ A Clear Sign of India’s Growing Frustration: The Hurriyat has asserted that such desperate measures are a sign of India’s frustration and its complete failure to break the will of the Kashmiri people through decades of violence.

The Unbroken Spirit of Kashmiri Resistance

The APHC has made it clear that forceful tactics like random arrests, planned harassment, and violent raids cannot and will not break the determination of the Kashmiri people. Despite the immense pressure and the use of raw military force by India, the people of Kashmir continue to resist the illegal occupation.

♦ A Declaration That Forceful Tactics Will Ultimately Fail: The leadership has affirmed that the spirit of the Kashmiri people for freedom remains strong and cannot be put out by force or fear.

♦ A Continued and Resilient Struggle Against Occupation: The resistance of the people, even in small acts, shows a deep strength that the Indian state has consistently failed to crush or understand.