Srinagar, The Indian police have recently begun a new round of profiling activities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), a move seen as an effort to exert control over the local population amidst the ongoing freedom movement in the region.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the police have started distributing forms to households across the Kashmir Valley. These forms require residents to provide extensive personal information, including names, ages, professions, family details, vehicle registration numbers, Aadhaar numbers, and details of family members residing abroad. Additionally, the form asks for information about any “terror links,” encounters with law enforcement, foreign travel, and even whether CCTV cameras are installed at the residence. Photographs of each family member and the house are also requested.

This exercise, colloquially known as the “police census,” is not new to the region and has been conducted on several occasions in the past. However, the comprehensive nature of the information being sought in this latest round has caused uncertainty and concern among residents. Many are unclear about the purpose and implications of providing such detailed information.

In Sopore, a town in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district, residents have already started receiving these forms. One local described how officials visited their home earlier in the week, instructing them to fill out the form with all requested details.

The profiling exercise is part of a broader strategy by Indian forces to increase surveillance in occupied Kashmir. This includes heightened scrutiny of government employees, who are required to obtain clearances from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and vigilance authorities for foreign travel, including religious pilgrimages like Hajj. Obtaining such clearances can be a lengthy and cumbersome process.

Observers of the situation in IIOJK interpret these measures as an attempt by the Indian government to isolate Kashmiris from the external world under various pretexts, effectively turning them into hostages under the current administration.