Kashmir police seeks granular data on mosques, clerics and management bodies: Report

Jama Masjid in Srinagar. (PTI file)

• J&K Police gather detailed data on mosques and related individuals
• Forms request personal, financial, digital, and property info from mosque committee members
• Survey includes info on sect, funding, social media, and any criminal history

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The Jammu and Kashmir Police have launched a large-scale data collection exercise across the Kashmir Valley, seeking extensive information on mosques as well as the individuals who run them, including imams, muezzins, khateebs, members of mosque management committees and charity wings, reports The Indian Express.

The exercise, the first at this scale, involves a four-page form being circulated across multiple districts, the report states. One page focuses on details of the mosque, while three pages seek personal, financial and digital information about individuals associated with it.

Beyond identifying a mosque's sect such as Barelvi, Hanafi, Deobandi or Ahle-Hadith, the form seeks detailed information about its physical structure, number of floors, approximate construction cost and sources of funding. Details of the mosque's monthly budget, bank account information, management structure and the nature of land on which it is built (whether state land, milkiyat or shamilaat) are also required.

The form further seeks complete family details of mosque committee members, imams, muezzins, khateebs who deliver Friday sermons, and members of the Bait-ul-Maal, the mosque's charity wing.

As per the report, personal information sought includes date of birth, educational qualifications, phone numbers and email addresses. Individuals have also been asked to provide passport details, including passport numbers, dates of issue and expiry, the countries they have visited, and information about relatives living abroad.

The exercise, the report adds, goes further to seek Aadhaar numbers, voter ID details, driving licence numbers, ration card information and bank account details. It also asks for PAN numbers, ATM and credit card details, as well as IMEI numbers of mobile phones of those associated with mosques.

Members are also required to disclose their monthly income and expenditure, details of property ownership along with estimated values, and information on their social media presence, including WhatsApp numbers, email IDs and social media handles. The form also asks about the apps installed on their mobile phones besides seeking information on any past involvement in militancy or other criminal activities.

While the Jammu and Kashmir Police have not officially acknowledged the exercise, sources said the survey has been in the works for some time. "We have been asked to fill these details and submit the forms," a police officer told The Indian Express.