What the Forum for Human Rights’ Latest Report Reveals About Jammu and Kashmir
The Forum’s seventh Annual Report documents a rekindled militancy following the Red Fort attack, a rise in the profiling and harassment of Kashmiri Muslims, the routine invocation of UAPA and PSA against civilians, and continued stagnation on statehood, alongside a special section on Ladakh and Pakistan-held Kashmir.
Published on: 11 August 2026, 02:10 pm
THE FORUM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR has released its seventh annual report (‘the Report’), marking the completion of seven years of Union Rule in the region, along with a special section on Ladakh and Pakistan-held territories of Jammu and Kashmir. The Report covers events and developments between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026. The Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir was established following the Centre’s revocation of the region’s special status in 2019. The Forum is an informal group of citizens who believe that an independent initiative is necessary to ensure that human rights violations in the region do not go unnoticed.
It is currently co-chaired by Gopal Krishna Pillai, a former Union Home Secretary, and Radha Kumar, who previously served on the Group of Interlocutors for Jammu and Kashmir. It consists of a diverse range of members from retired judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court to lawyers, retired civil servants and army officers. The Report has been majorly compiled using government sources, media accounts of reputed newspapers or television, NGO fact-finding reports , interviews and information gathered through legal petitions.
The Report also identifies a familiar pattern of distrust toward Kashmiri Muslims, who it says have faced “demonisation, harassment and assault” since the Red Fort blast.
Civilian security and the shadow of the Red Fort attack
The Report’s foremost section deals with civilian security. While the security situation in the region had appeared to improve, the Red Fort attack of November 2025 pointed to a rekindling of the militancy that has plagued Kashmir for years. The attack, which killed 13 people and injured 32, was carried out using a car loaded with explosives; its driver was a Pulwama-based doctor whose family home was demolished three days after the blast.
Ongoing investigations also led to the arrest of a group of doctors, medical students, and clerics affiliated with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, who were found to be stockpiling arms and explosives. While the arrested individuals disclosed the locations where they had stored explosives, they withheld any information regarding their alleged role in the car bomb attack near the Red Fort.
According to the Report, the 2025 attack also raised significant questions about the status and continued relevance of Operation Sindoor, which both the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister have affirmed remains an “ongoing operation.” Citing the South Asia Terrorism Portal, the Report notes that of the 1,500 searches, including Cordon-and-Search Operations (‘CASOs’), conducted in 2025, 541 took place in Jammu, with the remainder occurring across the rest of the valley. The Report also flags the Rashtriya Rifles, who have been repeatedly named in successive Forum Reports for their routine involvement in conflicts with civilians, and, on certain occasions, with the police.
A climate of suspicion toward Kashmiri Muslims
The Report also identifies a familiar pattern of distrust toward Kashmiri Muslims, who it says have faced “demonisation, harassment and assault” since the Red Fort blast. The attack aggravated pre-existing suspicion toward the community, which has since faced housing discrimination, forced evictions, landlord refusals, aggressive identity verification, and hostility from neighbours, shopkeepers, hotel staff, and even co-workers.
It also notes that, amid heightened surveillance and harassment of Kashmiri students, the Gurugram Police issued an order requiring housing societies, paying-guest accommodations, and rental landlords to submit detailed lists of tenants, including identity proofs, with particular focus on residents from Jammu and Kashmir and foreign nationals. The National Human Rights Commission, which took cognisance of a complaint filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association regarding the continued harassment of Kashmiri students and traders, has recorded no developments since the complaint was filed.
Following the Red Fort blast, the Jammu and Kashmir administration also began profiling mosques, madrassas, and individuals associated with the management of Islamic religious institutions. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (‘MMU’), the largest conglomerate of Islamic religious organisations in the region, has expressed deep concern over this profiling, describing the nature and depth of the information sought as an attempt to control and regulate religious institutions through coercive means.