Indian police install GPS tracking device on two more Kashmiris released on bail in IIOJK

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Srinagar: In blatant violation of freedom of movement and right to privacy, Indian police authorities have installed Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices on two more Kashmiris released on bail in Islamabad district of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the police have fitted the GPS ankle bracelet to two Kashmiri youths who were released on bail after they were illegally arrested under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in Dooru area of ​​Islamabad district in 2018.

Police officers sought legal cover for their actions by claiming they were complying with a court order, adding that the GPS ankle bracelet was being used to monitor the movements of the detainees.

This is not the first time that Indian authorities have fitted a GPS tracking system to Kashmiris. A day earlier, Baramulla police had fitted such a system to a remanded Kashmiri who was released on bail after being arrested at Uri police station under the draconian UAPA. The first victim of India's novel punishment is an elderly Kashmiri, Ghulam Muhammad Butt, a resident of Srinagar. 65-year-old Ghulam Mohammad Butt has been walking with the tracker around his ankle since November 2023.

Human rights activists raised serious concerns over the attachment of a GPS tracker on the body of a person standing trial in the IIOJK court, saying the GPS ankle bracelet is a form of “virtual imprisonment”. They argued that the electronic tag attached to a person's body could raise issues of basic freedoms such as freedom of movement or a person's right to privacy. “Since it is used against accused in pre-trial detention, it is based on the logic that someone is guilty until proven innocent. This is injustice,” they added.