Exclusive: In Kashmir, police seek granular info on mosques – and who runs them

It is for the first time that police are seeking information at this scale on mosques and their members. Beyond identifying a mosque’s ideological sect — Barelvi, Hanafi, Deobandi or Ahle-Hadith — the form requires details about its physical structure, number of floors, approximate construction cost and source of funds for its construction. It also seeks details about the monthly budget of the mosques, their bank account details, and how they are managed, as well as about the nature of land — whether state, milkiyat or shamilaat — on which the mosques are constructed.

The form also seeks complete family details of members of a mosque’s management committee, as well as its imam (person who leads prayer), muezzin (person who gives the call for prayer), khateebs (those who deliver Friday sermons) and the Bait-ul-Maal (the mosque’s charity wing).

The exercise seeks personal details like date of birth, phone number, email address and educational qualifications of those associated with a mosque.

Such persons have also been asked to furnish passport details, including passport number, date of issue and expiry, as well the number of countries visited by these persons and the names of relatives living abroad.

They are also asked to provide their voter card number, Aadhaar details, driving licence number, ration card number, mobile phone number and bank account information.

Further, the form seeks specific details such as the IMEI numbers of their phones, information about their ATM and credit cards, as well as their PAN.

The detailed financial standing of those associated with the mosques is also sought, including information on their monthly earnings and expenditure, as well as property ownership with estimated values.

While the form seeks information about any past involvement of these persons in militancy or other criminal activities, it also requires details of their social media presence and the apps they use on their mobile phones. They have been asked to provide their WhatsApp number, email addresses and social media handles. Details of their family members, including parents, siblings, and children, are also sought.

The survey has triggered some unease in the Valley, with many viewing it as a “direct interference in religious affairs”.

“We are seeing this for the first time. People associated with religious places are being singled out and asked to put their private lives in the public domain,” said a member of a mosque management committee, adding, “If they want to verify our credentials, they can conduct background checks. But probing our religious beliefs, family details and our monthly expenditure and credit card details goes too far.”

While police have not officially acknowledged the exercise, sources said this has been in the works for some time. “We have been asked to fill these details and submit the forms,” said a police officer.