Police raid multiple locations linked to banned JeI in south Kashmir’s Shopian

Shopian, Nov 27: Police in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Wednesday morning launched coordinated searches at multiple locations targeting individuals and premises linked to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), officials said.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Mushtaq Ahmad Choudhary told Greater Kashmir that police teams conducted searches in Shopian town and in several villages, including Turkwangam, Imamsahib, Barthipora and Zainpora.

Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir was first banned in February 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for alleged separatist activities.

The ban was extended for another five years in February 2024, with the Ministry of Home Affairs saying the organisation continued to pose a threat to national security and public order.

Since 2019, security agencies have routinely carried out searches, property seizures and arrests linked to JeI members and sympathisers as part of wider counter-terror measures in the region.

The latest raids are aimed at identifying and disrupting what police describe as residual networks and financial channels associated with the group.

The searches were underway at the time of filing this report.