Jammu & Kashmir Police Begin Valley-Wide Verification of Religious Institutions

Default Image

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have launched a large-scale verification drive across the Kashmir Valley.
This drive focuses on religious institutions, including:

  • Mosques

  • Madrasas (seminaries)

  • Religious trusts

  • Imams and non-local residents working in these places

Why has this been started?

Because police recently uncovered a “white-collar terror module”—a network of highly educated individuals helping terror groups secretly.
One arrested person, Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, was accused of:

  • Radicalizing young doctors

  • Spreading threatening posters

  • Supporting extremist groups

This raised concerns about some religious institutions possibly being misused.


What exactly will be done?

Police have instructed all mosque and trust committees to:

  • Verify the identity and background of imams, especially non-locals

  • Submit verification reports to local police stations within 7–10 days

This is similar to tenant verification, where any outsider’s background is checked for safety reasons.

Officials call it a routine “census-style” exercise done every few years to keep records updated.


What is the purpose of the drive?

Police say they want to:

  • Prevent radicalization of youth

  • Stop terror funding through religious trusts

  • Track illegal foreign donations (FCRA violations)

  • Identify land encroachments or unauthorized construction

  • Break networks that provide logistical or financial support to terrorists

The operation is part of wider counter-terror measures following the Delhi blast on November 10 and alerts about JeM and AGH terror groups.


What other actions are happening?

1. Raids and searches

  • Over 500 Jamaat-e-Islami and other suspicious premises searched

  • Documents, financial records, and digital devices seized

  • Trusts like Al Huda Educational Institute, Salafia Educational Trust, and Idarah Fallah-u-Darain checked for irregularities

2. Valley-wide security checks

  • Random checking of vehicles and pedestrians

  • Flying squads deployed in Srinagar, Pulwama, Kulgam, Anantnag, Baramulla, and Kupwara

  • Market and bus stand surveillance increased

3. Investigation areas

Officials are focusing on:

  • Tax evasion

  • Unreported foreign funding

  • Misuse of land

  • Support for OGWs (Overground Workers)

  • Radicalization attempts

No arrests so far, but more findings are expected.


In short

The police have launched a massive verification and security operation to ensure religious institutions are not being misused for:

  • Terror funding

  • Radicalization

  • Illegal activities

The move comes after the bust of an educated terror network and rising security alerts in the Valley.