Locals raised concerns after the Jammu and Kashmir Police began collecting personal and financial information from those working in mosques as part of an exercise to “gather data.”
A four-page form accessed by the Indian Express, with one page of information about the mosque and the remaining three covering details of its members, are being distributed across the Valley.
From identifying a mosque’s religious sect, Barelvi, Hanafi, Deobandi or Ahle-Hadith, to seeking information about the buildings, how many floors it has, an estimated construction cost and sources of funding, monthly expenses, bank accounts, management structure and ownership status of the land on which it is built is being sought, the form consolidates all available information.
The Indian Express reports that this is the first time the Jammu and Kashmir Police are collecting personal details of imams (person who leads prayer), muezzins (person who gives the call for prayer), khateebs (those who deliver Friday sermons) and the Bait-ul-Maal (the mosque’s charity wing), including their phone number, mobile model and IMEI number, date of birth, email address, ATM cards and credit cards.
Additionally, they are inquiring about educational qualifications, voter ID and Aadhaar details, driving licence number, ration card number, bank accounts and passport details, including number, date of issue, expiry and how many countries they have visited to date.
Family members, including parents, siblings, and children, as well as the names of relatives living abroad, are also being sought. That apart, the police are asking for social media accounts and which platform they frequently use and WhatsApp numbers.
In addition, individuals are asked to provide information about their social media accounts, frequently used platforms and WhatsApp numbers.
Mosque committee members have expressed suspicion and concerns about the range of private data being collected. “We are seeing this for the first time. People associated with religious places are being singled out and asked to put their private lives in the public domain,” one member told the Indian Express.
They fear they are being deliberately targeted for being Muslims. “If they want to verify our credentials, they can conduct background checks. But probing our religious beliefs, family details and our monthly expenditure and credit card details goes too far,” the committee member said.
Blatant invasion of privacy, religious freedom: Kashmiri politicians
Several prominent Kashmiri political leaders have called this data-collecting exercise “an invasion.”
Separatist political leader and chairman of Muttahida Majlis Ulama (MMU), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, released a statement on January 12 saying that the form blatantly violates privacy, religious freedom and fundamental rights.
“MMU categorically states that this exercise is in complete violation of fundamental rights and the right to privacy and personal information, even guaranteed under the Constitution. Mosques are sacred institutions meant for worship, guidance and community service, and their internal religious affairs cannot be subjected to arbitrary surveillance and intrusive scrutiny.”
“The nature and depth of information being sought go far beyond any routine administrative requirement, raising serious questions of intent, reflecting an attempt to control and regulate religious institutions through coercive means and checks. That this exercise is specific only to the Muslim community of Jammu and Kashmir is again suspect of motives,” the statement read.
National Conference leader and Parliament member Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has called this a “project run by right-wing ideology.”
Speaking to reporters, Mehdi called the exercise a method of intimidation and an infringement of the freedom to practice religion. “The preachers of the mosques will be told to read the sermon according to the order of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will send them a sermon on Friday,” he said.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and Congress leader Shahnawaz Choudhary on Wednesday, January 14, condemned the profiling of mosques and imams in Kashmir, alleging it was an interference in the religious matters of Muslims.
Mufti, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, said if religious places require profiling, it should start with temples across the country.
“The latest order for mosques is interference in our religious affairs. If they have to do it, then they should start with other religions. Let them seek the details about priests in temples, and in which temple can shudras go and in which can Brahmins go,” Mufti told reporters.
The PDP president said the authorities should also seek information about the money that is paid for entering temples, gurudwaras and churches.
“The police already have the record of the number of mosques in J&K and how much land they have. But now, seeking details of maulvis, imams and doing this much profiling are an attempt to intimidate and keep Muslims away from their religion in J&K,” she said.
“This five-page proforma has been made in such a way that it seems they are not imams or maulvis or teachers or members of masjid committees, but they are OGWs (over ground workers). The way OGWs are harassed and asked to give all their details in a police station, in the same way, details are being sought from mosques as if these are crime scenes,” she said.
Choudhary said the “excessive and punitive” measure undermines the country’s secular foundations.
“The collective suspecting of an entire religion or community is not only unconstitutional but also extremely dangerous for the country’s social fabric,” Choudhary, secretary, All-India Congress Committee (AICC), and district president of Pradesh Congress Committee for Poonch, said.
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