Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir’s largest conglomerate of Islamic religious groups Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) as well as the ruling National Conference (NC) and other political parties have objected to the alleged profiling of mosques by police, terming it as an “attempt to control religious institutions” in Kashmir.“Mosques are sacred institutions meant for worship, guidance and community service, and their internal religious affairs cannot be subjected to arbitrary surveillance and intrusive scrutiny,” the MMU said in a statement on Tuesday (January 13), referring to an “ongoing police exercise” in Kashmir.Calling for protecting the “autonomy of religious institutions” and upholding the “constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, privacy and dignity of citizens”, the MMU has urged the lieutenant governor-led administration to withdraw the exercise.“The elected government must immediately intervene in this matter. Such an exercise must be stopped forthwith, as it undermines trust, creates fear among religious functionaries and sends a disturbing message to the Muslim community of the state,” the MMU said.J&K police report directly to the lieutenant governor while the elected government led by chief minister Omar Abdullah has no control over law and order and other security issues in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.The MMU statement came in the backdrop of a report in The Indian Express on January 13 which said that the J&K police were seeking information about the mosques in Kashmir and the people associated with them, including the imams, preachers and other members of their managing bodies.Barring some, all the mosques in Kashmir are managed by a group of respectable people drawn from the neighbourhoods who are tasked with appointing the imams for leading the prayers and managing the donations which are also used for funding the day-to-day expenses at these institutions.In most areas of J&K, the imams, after obtaining permission from the managing bodies, also run Islamic seminaries which take care of the religious education of children in the neighbourhood.A four-page form circulated by police in various parts of Kashmir, according to the newspaper, has sought information on the sect of mosques, monthly budget and the source of funding besides details of those associated with them and their family members, their social media accounts, details of mobile phones, bank accounts, ration cards along with others.The Indian Express reported that while one page is reserved for the information on mosques, the remaining three pages seek personal details of the members of the managing bodies of mosques and their families.“Such an unprecedented and invasive data-collection exercise has caused widespread anxiety among religious institutions, imams, preachers and the public in general,” the MMU said, terming the exercise as a “violation of fundamental rights and the right to privacy …. guaranteed under the Constitution”.The MMU which is headed by chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and comprises all the major Islamic religious outfits in the Union territory said that the “nature and depth of information” sought by the police “goes far beyond any routine administrative requirement”.It said that the exercise was “an attempt to control and regulate religious institutions through coercive means and checks”, “That this exercise is specific only to the Muslim community of Jammu and Kashmir is again suspect of motives,” the statement said.Meanwhile, the ruling NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar termed the profiling of mosques as “intimidating and religiously discriminatory exercise”.“Police & intelligence agencies have for long been actively and silently collecting details of each and every individual living here. So what is the point of adding one more interrogative process? Situation will change, sun may rise from the West but a Kashmiri will always be under the scanner,” Dar said in a post on X.Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone said that the “branding of a religion as suspect” was a “dangerous” move and “another example of punitive overstretch”.“There can be security issues. But no security threat is bigger than the idea of India. Pushing Muslims to the wall, making them suspect is a security risk in itself. Incidentally in JK police both Hindus and Muslims work. Yet in the fight against terrorism, 95% of those rendered sacrifices and laid down their lives for their country, happened to be Muslims. Will someone go to their graves and whisper into their ears, that the mosques they went to pray are being profiled,” he said.People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti said on X: “Wonder under what law is @JmuKmrPolice profiling mosques across J&K? This absurd punitive policy reeks of collective suspicion, othering & punishment of Muslims. And after all this constant humiliation you feign ignorance as Kashmiris find themselves increasingly isolated & aloof? What will it take for you to wake up?”