JAMMU: Seven Kashmiris have been charged in two trumped-up cases in Doda district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, demonstrating the continued misuse of draconian laws to target pro-freedom voices in the territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Doda Sandeep Mehta confirmed that the charge sheets have been filed in an NIA court. The defendants are vilified for allegedly providing food and shelter to militants – a baseless accusation often used by Indian authorities to justify repressive measures and confiscate the properties of innocent Kashmiris.
The first case, registered earlier this year at the Gandoh police station, involves three individuals: Safder Ali, Mubashar Hussain and Sajad Ahmad, all residents of the Tanta-Kahara area. They face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
In the second case, registered at Bhaderwah police station, four others, including Mohammad Rafi and Mohammad Amin Butt, were accused. The charges against them include violations of the UAPA and the Indian Arms Act.
Indian authorities have systematically used their formidable agencies – the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the State Investigation Agency (SIA) and Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) – to suppress dissent and silence Kashmiris.
Raids and investigations have become commonplace in the IIOJK, targeting individuals ranging from Hurriyat leaders to journalists, human rights defenders and ordinary citizens.
These raids aim to intimidate opponents of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) program in the territory. Prominent leaders and activists have been falsely implicated to discredit their role in the freedom movement, while pro-freedom voices are persecuted under the guise of legal action.
The Modi regime’s misuse of these agencies is seen as a reflection of its frustration with the unwavering resistance of Kashmiris. Pro-freedom Kashmiris are imprisoned for their political beliefs rather than actual crimes. The systematic creation of false cases and detention of innocent Kashmiris have drawn criticism from local and international observers, who see these actions as part of a larger strategy to crush the spirit of resistance within the IIOJK.
Global human rights organizations have been called upon to intervene and address the illegal detentions and fabricated cases that have become a hallmark of India’s policy of oppression in the occupied territory.
