Srinagar/Jammu: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Congress leader Shahnawaz Choudhary on Wednesday condemned the profiling of mosques and imams in Kashmir, alleging it was an interference in the religious matters of Muslims.
Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, said if religious places require profiling, it should start with temples across the country.
“The latest order for mosques is interference in our religious affairs. If they have to do it, then they should start with other religions. Let them seek the details about priests in temples, and in which temple can Shudras go and in which can Brahmins go,” Mufti told reporters here.
The PDP president said the authorities should also seek information about the money that is paid for entering temples.
“The police already have the record of the number of mosques in J&K and how much land they have. But now, seeking details of Maulvis, Imams, their photos, Aadhar cards and doing this much profiling are an attempt to intimidate and keep Muslims away from their religion in J&K,” she said.
Mufti said Imams and the management committees of mosques are terrified by the profiling exercise.
“This five-page proforma has been made in such a way that it seems they are not Imams or Maulvis or teachers or members of masjid committees, but they are OGWs (over ground workers). The way OGWs are harassed and asked to give all their details in a police station, in the same way, details are being sought from mosques as if these are crime scenes,” she said.
The former chief minister dared the government to do similar profiling of gurudwaras and churches.
Mufti said she feared that the government might replicate this profiling with mosques across the country.
“First, they laid their hands on the waqf properties, and now they want to lay their hands on mosques which are not even waqf properties. They are also seeking details about sects.
“What do they have to do about the sects with which we are associated? Mosques are open for all irrespective of sects. It is not like that Dalits cannot enter,” she said.
Mufti said it was unfortunate that the government is silent and they are not talking about this.
“They have a habit that wherever they fail, they say this was done by PDP and Mufti. They have no answer to any question,” she said.
Congress’s Shahnawaz Choudhary said the “excessive and punitive” measure undermined the country’s secular foundations.
“The collective suspecting of an entire religion or community is not only unconstitutional but also extremely dangerous for the country’s social fabric,” Choudhary, secretary, All India Congress Committee (AICC), and district president of Pradesh Congress Committee for Poonch, said.
Authorities have started a process of profiling mosques, madrassas and persons associated with the management of religious institutions in the Union Territory (UT), following the busting of the ‘white collar’ terror module last year.
A proforma has been given to village numberdars (village-level revenue staff) for getting details of mosques, madrassas, Imams, teachers and management committee members of these institutions.
The Congress leader said while legitimate security concerns need to be tackled firmly and professionally, no threat to security can be greater than any damage to the foundational idea of India – a nation built on pluralism, equality, and mutual respect.
Choudhary said alienating and cornering any community through blanket suspicion breeds distrust and division, which in turn becomes the biggest internal security risk. He pointed out that such approaches erode the trust between citizens and the state, weakening the very unity sought to be protected.
Highlighting the contributions of the Muslim community, Choudhary said that in Jammu & Kashmir, Hindu and Muslim police personnel serve together with equal commitment.
“Yet, in the fight against terrorism, more than 95 per cent of the security personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty were from the Muslim community – a fact that underscores their unwavering patriotism and sacrifice for the nation,” he said.
Choudhary said these profiling measures disregard such sacrifices and called upon the government to immediately stop these practices, ensuring that all security actions remain targeted, intelligence-driven and fully aligned with constitutional values and secular principles.
He reiterated the Congress party’s unwavering commitment to defending India’s secular ethos and urged all sections of society to reject divisive policies that threaten national harmony.
