Kashmir News Weekly Roundup: 5/7-5/14
Exclusive:
Jails and torture centers in occupied Kashmir full as Indian occupation intensify its brutal crackdown ahead of G20
In order to present occupied Kashmir as an ‘inalienable part of India’, and mislead the visiting G20 delegates about the situation in Kashmir, the occupation authorities have not only done a surface touchup to the roads and streets through which the delegations may pass but have also launched a massive crackdown on the people of Kashmir. As per reports, in the last week, another 800 civilians have been incarcerated in addition to the 2,500 that were detained earlier. Confidential sources revealed that the jails are full beyond capacity and some are overcrowded to the point of suffocation.
“My son has lost his entire investment this time. He had invested around 15 Lakh rupees to start a poultry farm. Two days before the eggs were to hatch, the Indian occupation police detained him and told us they will release him only after the G20 event is over,” the father of a youth told us. “He won’t be able to do this again as we are out of savings, and already in debt.”
Over a dozen families we spoke to, told us that their relatives have been arrested or detained at least twice this year.
Exclusive:
India forces Kashmiri businesses to color their shutters, and entrances in line with the “G20 theme”
India is getting ready to hold the G20 summit in occupied Kashmir from May 22–24 in an effort to legitimize its settler-colonial control of Kashmir. The Indian armed forces and the police have stepped up their night raids, arrests, patrols, and frisking of innocent residents while the imposed government is busy with a beautifying programme, adorning areas of Srinagar to create a more favorable image for the international stage.
The authorities have mandated that shop owners in Srinagar’s uptown area remove holding boards displaying their brands or products and paint their entrance walls and shutters in the Indian flag tricolor or the G20 theme. These orders are in addition to the street laborers who are assigned to carry out the beautification projects on an industrial scale day and night.
The proprietor of a hardware store stated, “The directions came from their local police station a week ago.” The store owners whose businesses are located on the front side of the International Airport route in Srinagar said that a deadline has also been instructed. “Police have threatened action if the task isn’t completed before May 20th,” said a garment store shopkeeper.
Along with the police, the Indian military forces have stepped up their detentions, searches, and verification procedures of students from various Kashmiri areas who are residing in Srinagar. Notably, by hosting the G20 summit in occupied Kashmir, India hopes to normalize relations with the rest of the world and continue its settler-colonial project in Kashmir under the garb of development.
Indian occupation authorities seize control of six more businesses using anti-terror laws
Indian occupation authorities have been weaponizing the law and using anti-terror legislation to take control of the operties of Kashmiri Muslims. This is a similar strategy to that used in Israel for the Palestinians, in which the government will claim various Palestinian properties as ‘encroachments’ and use legislation to take control of housing and buildings.
In the Lethpora neighborhood of the Pulwama district in south Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency of India (NIA) on Wednesday confiscated six stores in accordance with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The NIA also confiscated an immovable property on Wednesday in the hamlet of Manigah in the Kupwara region of north Kashmir. Daulat Ali Mughal of Shilabhatu Mohalla in Manigah owned 3.5 Marlas of land. Mughal is charged with participating in NIA. The officer explained that the property was taken after a special NIA court in Jammu issued an order.
Indian agencies continue their reign of terror across Kashmir
In addition to using anti-terrorism legislation against Kashmiri Muslims and weaponizing laws, Indian officials have proceeded to violate every international law by invading civilian premises without a warrant, conducting midnight raids on homes, and kidnapping youngsters. On Tuesday morning, the Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches throughout Jammu and Kashmir. The raids were carried out in the JK districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Poonch, and others.
Regular raids targeting Kashmiri citizens are still being conducted. India has been carrying out these searches using its NIA, SIA, CBI, SIU, and the regular armed forces in order to prosecute Kashmiris on the basis of false claims. Investigators from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches in several villages in the Budgam district on Thursday with the help of the Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF.
India continues its campaign against Muslim political organization
As part of their ongoing campaign against the banned religious-political group Jamaat-e-Islami, Indian occupation authorities broke into the homes of several persons they claimed to be members of the group. In connection with the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) investigation, the National Investigation Agency of India said on Thursday that searches were conducted at eleven locations in the districts of Budgam and Baramulla.
India has been targeting the JeI’s members since it outlawed the organization by accusing them of ‘serious crimes’ under the PSA and UAPA. The Indian army and state authorities have both conducted raids on the homes of persons they claim might be affiliated with the group.
Kashmir’s chief cleric continues to be in detention, people demand release
On Friday, Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid Srinagar voiced worry over Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq’s ongoing house imprisonment and demanded his quick release.
According to a statement from the Auqaf, the Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir has been denied permission to lead Friday prayers for 194 Fridays in a row. They claimed that they are struggling to comprehend why he has been held indefinitely without being permitted to engage in his activities or fulfill his religious obligations.
People are becoming more and more concerned about his protracted arrest, and as a result of his absence, the pulpit of Jamia Masjid Srinagar continues to be mute. Due to his arrest, social reform initiatives are also negatively impacted.
