Kashmir chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in his Friday (April 3, 2026) sermon, said multiple security agencies under the pretext of cases were going after Kashmiris, especially local employees, “to create an atmosphere of fear”.

Speaking from the pulpit of the historic Jama Masjid, Mr. Farooq said Kashmir was recording daily filing of cases, chargesheets, and arrests of Kashmiris by the multiple agencies operating like the State Investigation Agency (SIA), Counter Intelligence Kashmir, Cyber Cell, Anti-Corruption Bureau and National Investigation Agency.

“This creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and reinforces the narrative that portrays an entire people as dangerous and suspect to be kept under check,” said Mr. Farooq

He said the termination of government employees combined with filing of cases against local employees come across as “deliberate act to establish fear”. “This coercive policy cannot build viable peace or lead to progress if that is what the authorities seek,” he added.

He also condemned the killing of a civilian, Raashid Ahmed Mughal, a resident of Ganderbal, in an encounter. “The victim’s family says that he was a part-time computer operator with no links to militancy. That his body was also not given to the family for burial is inhuman and condemnable. His family seeks justice through an impartial probe,” said Mr. Farooq.

He hoped that justice is done “as past experiences do not inspire confidence”. “Let us hope that the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s probe order will deliver justice and those responsible are held to account and punished,” said Mr. Farooq.