Srinagar: In yet another brazen assault on freedom of expression and digital privacy, Indian authorities have intensified a sweeping crackdown in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) by identifying around 800 individuals for using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), a move widely viewed as part of India's policy to silence dissent and impose total information control in the territory.

The occupation authorities have imposed a two-month blanket ban on the use of so-called 'unauthorised' VPN services across the Kashmir Valley, citing vague pretexts of public safety, cyber security, and law and order. The ban has effectively criminalised digital tools that Kashmiris rely on to access information, communicate securely, and express opinions in an environment marked by pervasive surveillance.

Indian police officials have acknowledged that mass monitoring and verification drives have been launched across the Valley, resulting in the identification of hundreds of internet users. In districts including Budgam, Shopian, and Sopore, residents-mostly youth-were subjected to technical scrutiny, background verification, and intimidation merely for attempting to protect their online privacy.

During the drive, cases were registered and legal proceedings initiated against several individuals under newly imposed legal provisions, while dozens were summoned, questioned, and bound down, creating fear and psychological pressure. Observers say the deliberate linking of VPN use with 'terror-related' allegations is intended to stigmatise ordinary Kashmiris and justify repression.

Civil liberties advocates say the VPN ban exposes India's real intent: to seal Kashmir's digital space, suppress independent thought, block access to alternative narratives, and punish those who attempt to bypass state-controlled information channels. Analysts maintain that the move violates internationally recognised rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and privacy, and reflects India's growing intolerance of dissent in IIOJK.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that similar prohibitory orders have been extended to parts of the Jammu region, suggesting that the digital crackdown is being expanded beyond the Kashmir Valley.