SRINAGAR: Police searched 26 locations across Sopore in north Kashmir on Sunday in a coordinated crackdown on banned Jamaat-e-Islami J&K, seizing documents, literature and electronic devices as part of a probe into its alleged links to terrorist outfits and youth radicalisation.The search targeted residential and other premises linked to Jamaat-e-Islami J&K members and activists. No arrest was reported till filing of this report. “The operation was conducted in accordance with due legal procedure and prescribed protocols,” police said.Police said the seized material was being examined to establish further linkages and activities connected with the proscribed organisation. The operation was part of efforts to dismantle networks linked to banned organisations, separatist activities and terrorist funding.Distinct from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamaat-e-Islami J&K has a history tied to regional separatism and has long had a support base in Sopore. Union government first declared it an “unlawful association” in Feb 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In Feb 2024, the ban was extended for five years, with the government saying the organisation continued activities against India’s security, integrity and sovereignty.
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Multiple criminal cases have been registered against Jamaat-e-Islami J&K and its members under various laws, including UAPA.Sunday’s search followed a sweeping crackdown in Kashmir after the fatal shooting of a J&K police head constable on duty in Anantnag town on July 22 — the first attack in Kashmir since the Pahalgam massacre in April 2025. Security forces demolished the family homes of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists and detained more than 2,500 people for questioning across Kashmir.
