Archive · 9 Aug 2026
J&K Police search 26 Sopore locations in banned Jamaat-e-Islami case
Police officers in Jammu and Kashmir went to 26 different places in the town of Sopore on a Sunday.
They were looking for clues about a group called Jamaat-e-Islami, which India has banned.
The government says the group supported separatism and had links to terrorism and violence.
Separatism is the idea of wanting part of the country to break away and become independent.
The police found papers, books, and electronic devices and took them for examination.
The group was banned after an attack in 2019, and the ban was renewed for five more years in 2024.
The group used to run schools and welfare programmes, but it also said Kashmir is a disputed territory and boycotted elections for decades.
Some people who were once in the group later chose to join normal politics instead.
A day earlier, police also raided several Valley districts over online posts praising terrorism.
The police say the searches are part of their effort to stop activities that harm the country.
J&K Police on Sunday carried out coordinated searches at 26 locations across Police District Sopore in connection with a UAPA case against the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI).
Incriminating documents, literature and electronic devices were recovered and seized from residential and other premises linked to JeI leaders, members and activists.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared JeI an unlawful association, citing separatist and terrorist links, threats to national sovereignty and security, and promotion of secessionism.
The ban, imposed amid the crackdown after the 2019 Pulwama attack, was extended by the MHA for another five years in February 2024.
Separately, the Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) wing of the J&K Police raided multiple locations across the Kashmir Valley on Saturday over alleged online glorification of terrorism, radical content and recruitment into terrorist ranks.
- Who
- Jammu and Kashmir Police (Sopore Police), acting on a case registered under the UAPA
- What
- Conducted coordinated searches at 26 locations in connection with a UAPA case against the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), recovering and seizing incriminating documents, literature and electronic devices
- When
- Sunday, August 9
- Where
- Police District Sopore, north Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir
- Why
- To gather evidence, trace the links of the banned JeI network, and dismantle networks associated with proscribed organisations and separatist activities
Authorities' position
JeI's historical stance
Justification for the ban
Authorities' position
The MHA banned JeI under UAPA, citing separatist and terrorist links, threats to national sovereignty and security, and the promotion of secessionism.
JeI's historical stance
JeI has historically maintained that Kashmir is a disputed territory and boycotted mainstream democratic elections for decades.
Political path forward
Authorities' position
Hardliners such as Syed Ali Shah Geelani broke away to form Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, representing a strict pro-Pakistan stance for decades.
JeI's historical stance
Some former JeI members and breakaway factions like JDF-J&K shifted to democratic participation within the constitutional framework, contesting the 2024 J&K Assembly elections.
- Incident
- Coordinated searches at 26 locations
- Location
- Police District Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir
- Organisation
- Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) J&K
- Legal basis
- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)
- Banning authority
- Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
- Ban extension
- February 2024, for another five years
- Founded
- 1953, by Maulana Saaduddin Tarabali
- Reason for ban
- Separatist and terrorist links; threats to national sovereignty and security; promotion of secessionism
Sources
Jammu and Kashmir: Police conduct searches at 26 locations in Sopore in terror-link case
Police search 26 locations in Kashmir linked to banned Jamaat-e-Islami
J&K Police raids 26 terror case linked locations in north Kashmir’s Sopore
