Special Correspondent: A widening crackdown by Indian forces is tightening the siege on Kashmiri homes and digital spaces across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, as repeated raids, searches and seizures are being used to probe online dissent while deepening fear and intimidation among civilians.

Indian agency Counter Intelligence Kashmir backed by the Indian Army and paramilitary forces, conducted cordon-and-search operations and raided residential houses in different districts, including Shopian, and Kulgam. The forces also conducted searches at several locations in Kupwara district.

During the operations, the forces seized digital devices, laptops, mobile phones, household documents and bank records belonging to residents.

Indian officials claimed that the continued searches and house raids are part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged use of “anti-India narratives” on social media platforms.

Earlier, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and State Investigation Agency (SIA), along with the Indian Army and paramilitary forces, conducted searches and house raids under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in different areas of Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara, Kulgam, Shopian, Islamabad, Poonch and Udhampur districts. More than a dozen people were interrogated and questioned by the forces.

House raids and crackdown coupled with arrests and digital surveillance have become routine in the occupied territory under the garb of so-called counter-militancy investigations.

Locals say such operations are routinely used to target political dissent, silence Kashmiri voices and intimidate families, while thousands are already detained under draconian laws such as the UAPA and Public Safety Act (PSA), without fair trials, in jails across India and IIOJK.

Meanwhile, Indian police arrested four persons in three separate operations in south Kashmir’s Islamabad and Kulgam districts. Cases have been registered against them.