Kashmir police seek extensive data on mosques, clerics
Survey demands personal, financial and digital details of imams and mosque bodies, triggering concern over privacy and religious freedom
SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — Police in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir have launched a sweeping information-gathering exercise targeting mosques across the Kashmir Valley, seeking detailed data not only on religious institutions but also on imams, muezzins, mosque management committees and associated charity wings.
According to the Indian media, the Jammu and Kashmir Police have circulated a four-page questionnaire that demands granular personal, financial and digital information from individuals linked to mosques, marking the first time such an extensive survey has been conducted at this scale.
The form, which is being distributed across multiple districts in the Valley, seeks institutional details such as a mosque’s sectarian affiliation, capacity, number of floors, construction costs, land ownership status and sources of funding. It also asks for information on monthly budgets, bank accounts, and the management structure overseeing each mosque.
Beyond institutional data, the survey requires highly detailed personal information from mosque officials, including imams who lead prayers, muezzins who issue the call to prayer, khateebs who deliver Friday sermons, and members of Bait-ul-Maal, the mosque charity wing. Respondents are asked to provide dates of birth, educational qualifications, phone numbers, email addresses and full family details.
The form further demands passport information, including passport numbers, dates of issue and expiry, a list of countries visited, and details of relatives living abroad. Individuals are also required to disclose voter identification numbers, Aadhaar details, driving licence information, ration card numbers, bank account data and tax identification details.
In a move that has drawn particular concern, the questionnaire seeks the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers of personal mobile phones, information on ATM and credit cards, details of income and expenditure, and estimates of property ownership and value. It also asks respondents to list social media handles, messaging applications used, WhatsApp numbers and email accounts.
While the form includes questions about any past involvement in militancy or criminal activity, it also probes religious affiliation in detail, asking mosque authorities to specify whether they follow Barelvi, Hanafi, Deobandi or Ahle-Hadith traditions.
The exercise has triggered unease among religious communities in the Valley, with many viewing it as an unprecedented intrusion into religious life and personal privacy. A member of a mosque management committee described the survey as excessive, saying authorities were demanding information that went far beyond legitimate verification.
If background checks were required, the individual said, they could be conducted through established legal mechanisms rather than through what was seen as a blanket collection of private financial and digital data.
Civil rights advocates and community leaders say the survey reflects a broader pattern of heightened surveillance in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir since the region lost its semi-autonomous status in 2019, with religious institutions increasingly drawn into security-focused governance frameworks.
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