The banned Jamaat-e-Islami was in the throes of a fresh National Investigation Agency (NIA) crackdown as its sleuths on Saturday raided the houses of the party’s former chief, Sheikh Ghulam Hassan, and other activists and more properties linked to them in Kashmir and Jammu.

Officials said simultaneous raids were conducted by the NIA, assisted by a large contingent of police and paramilitary forces, at 15 places in both Jammu and Kashmir. Jamaat has for long served as an ideological powerhouse of Kashmiri separatism, including militancy.

An official said the houses of Sheikh and another leader, Sayyar Ahmad Reshi, were raided in Kulgam district of south Kashmir. The premises of a private school in the Gujjar Nagar locality of Jammu city and an orphanage in Srinagar were also raided.

An NIA spokesperson said the raids were part of a crackdown on the proscribed group in a terror funding case. The agency has already charged four accused persons in
the case.

“NIA teams swooped down on the premises of various suspects at five locations in Srinagar, three in Budgam, two in Kulgam, one in Anantnag and four in Jammu. Incriminating documents and digital devices connected with the
activities of the Jamaat-e-Islami and its related trusts in Jammu and Kashmir were seized during the extensive searches, which also led to the recovery of over Rs 20 lakh in cash,” he said.

“NIA investigations in the case, registered on February 5, 2021, have so far revealed that the Jamaat-e-Islami
and its members have continued to promote terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir even after the outfit was proscribed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in February 2019,” the NIA
spokesperson added.

The NIA said operatives of the banned organisation had been collecting funds through donations from within India and abroad.

The agency claimed the funds were collected mainly in the form of zakat, mowda and Bait-ul-Mal (religious donations) to promote charity and other welfare activities, such as health and education, but were allegedly used for violent and secessionist activities.

The spokesperson alleged funds raised were channelled to other proscribed terrorist organisations, such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

Saturday’s crackdown is part of a year-long operation against the separatists and militants to curb their activities.

Though separatists have largely ceased their activities, militants continue to pose a major challenge to the security establishment. On February 7 evening, militants killed non-local workers from Punjab in the old city locality of Habba Kadal.

Sheikh, 87, a government teacher-turned-preacher, has twice served as Jamaat chief in Jammu and Kashmir between 2006 and 2012.

The pro-Pakistan Jamaat was banned in February 2019, months ahead of the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Its current head Hameed Fayaz and several other leaders are under detention. Fayaz was briefly released in 2021.

The party has unsuccessfully tried hard in recent years to build bridges with the State.

Out of jail, Fayaz disowned members who were shifting to other countries and were engaged in pro-Kashmir activism there, claiming that the Jamaat constitution does not allow membership to those who leave the country.

Fayaz also claimed the members had gone inactive following the ban.

In 2021, three former heads of Jamaat — Sheikh, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat and Mohammad Abdullah Wani — distanced the party from militancy and “agitational politics”.