For the second time in just two weeks, Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a sweeping series of coordinated raids across the Kashmir Valley on November 27, 2025, intensifying its crackdown on the banned organization Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its alleged terror support network. The operations, which spanned districts including Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam, Shopian, Kulgam, Kupwara, and Handwara, targeted residential premises, educational institutions, and properties linked to JeI members, overground workers (OGWs), and their associates, according to multiple police statements cited by Deccan Chronicle, Republic World, and The Tribune.
Police officials reported the seizure of electronic devices such as laptops, desktops, CPUs, mobile phones, and pen drives, along with incriminating documents and ideological literature. All seized materials are undergoing forensic scrutiny, with authorities searching for evidence of anti-national activities and efforts to revive the banned organization through covert means. These measures, police say, are part of a broader, intelligence-driven campaign to dismantle what officials describe as a “white-collar terror ecosystem” operating under the guise of professional and academic networks.
The latest round of raids follows a major operation on November 12, 2025, when police and security forces conducted over 200 searches across Jammu and Kashmir, detaining scores of JeI cadres and sympathizers, and confiscating a trove of digital devices. In the past month alone, more than 500 Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) have targeted former militant hideouts and OGW networks, resulting in the questioning and preventive detention of several hundred individuals associated with JeI and other banned outfits.
According to police sources cited by Deccan Chronicle, these efforts have recently led to the dismantling of an inter-state and transnational terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the ISIS-affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH). The module is alleged to have funded terrorism and maintained links with the deadly blast in Delhi earlier this year.
In north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, police conducted early morning searches at the Jamia Islamia Institute in Waripora, Handwara. The operation, conducted in the presence of an Executive Magistrate and local officials, resulted in the seizure of several electronic devices. Police said the searches were prompted by credible intelligence indicating unlawful activities and suspected JeI links at the institution, as reported by Republic World and The Tribune.
Similar operations unfolded in Budgam, where police teams searched residences and institutes in Chadoora, Soibugh, and Beerwah, again based on intelligence about anti-national activities. In Shopian, meticulously coordinated searches targeted multiple locations connected to JeI members. Police in all districts emphasized that the actions were conducted transparently and within the framework of law, reiterating a commitment to lasting peace and security in the region.
“All operations were conducted transparently within the framework of law, with a clear commitment to ensuring lasting peace and security in the region,” a police spokesperson told Deccan Chronicle. The raids, he said, were “based on specific intelligence indicating continued anti-national activities and attempts to revive the banned outfit through front organizations.”
The crackdown is taking place against the backdrop of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) February 2024 decision to extend the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir for another five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The MHA described JeI as the “ideological fountainhead of separatist and radical thought in the Valley,” citing its potential to undermine national integrity and promote secessionism. The organization, originally banned in February 2019 days after the Pulwama attack, has seen hundreds of its properties seized and most of its senior leadership detained since then.
Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, formed in 1942 as an independent entity separate from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and its Pakistani counterpart, historically supported plebiscite demands and maintained pro-Pakistan leanings. The organization played a pivotal role in the 1987 Muslim United Front (MUF) elections, which many believe were rigged, pushing several JeI cadres—including Muhammad Yusuf Shah (now Syed Salahuddin, chief of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen)—toward armed militancy.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary weighed in on the wider context of recent police actions, especially regarding the November 20 raid by the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) on the Kashmir Times office in Jammu. Choudhary stressed the importance of impartiality by investigative agencies, stating, “The agencies are doing their work. If a raid has to be conducted, it should not be done on a pick-and-choose basis. If they have done anything wrong, action should be taken, but not just to create pressure. The Press is the fourth estate, and it should get space to practice journalism.” The Kashmir Times, established in 1954, is the oldest English-language daily in Jammu and Kashmir, and the raid has sparked debate about press freedom and due process.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated but parallel development, Jammu Police on November 27 arrested a 19-year-old youth from Bathindi area on suspicion of terror-related activities. According to Deccan Chronicle, the suspect, originally from Reasi district, was reportedly radicalized online and maintained contact with Pakistan-based handlers. Police allege he was planning a terror act; digital devices seized from him are currently under detailed forensic analysis, and intensive questioning is underway. An FIR (No. 331/2025) under Section 113(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at Police Station Bahu Fort.
The police have reiterated their zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism and vow to take stringent action against individuals or networks aiding anti-national activities, whether on the ground or through digital platforms. “J&K Police reiterate their zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism in all forms and vows stringent action against individuals or networks aiding anti-national activities, whether on ground or through social media and digital platforms,” a police official told Deccan Chronicle.
Observers note that while the crackdown has been welcomed by those who see it as necessary for regional security and the prevention of terrorism, it has also raised questions about civil liberties, press freedom, and the scope of preventive detention. The government maintains that the actions are necessary to neutralize terror-separatist ecosystems, disrupt ideological, financial, and logistical support structures, and prevent the revival of banned organizations. Critics, however, warn that broad crackdowns risk sweeping up innocents and stifling legitimate political and journalistic activity.
As forensic investigations into the seized materials continue and detentions are reviewed, the people of Jammu and Kashmir—and indeed, the rest of India—watch closely. The outcome of these operations will not only shape the future of Jamaat-e-Islami and similar organizations but will also test the delicate balance between security imperatives and civil rights in one of the country’s most sensitive regions.