Data shows massive surge post-2021; 23 convicted in last two years
WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: The number of persons arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a sharp and continuous spike over the last five years, with arrests crossing 1,200 in both 2022 and 2023, according to official data tabled in Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
As per the annexure submitted in Lok Sabha in response to Unstarred Question No. 351, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 227 arrests in 2019, which increased to 346 in 2020 and further rose steeply to 645 in 2021. The figure saw a dramatic jump in 2022 when 1,238 persons were arrested, followed by 1,206 arrests in 2023, making the Union Territory one of the highest contributors to UAPA cases in the country during this period.
While conviction figures remained negligible in the initial years, the past two years showed a significant shift. In 2019, there were no convictions, while in 2020 just two persons were convicted. No convictions were recorded again in 2021 despite the high number of arrests that year. However, in 2022, the courts convicted 11 persons, followed by 10 convictions in 2023, indicating a growing conversion of arrests into successful prosecution.
The Ministry clarified that policing and public order are state subjects under the Constitution, and the responsibility for investigation and prosecution lies with the respective State and Union Territory administrations. The data, compiled and published annually by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), is available up to the year 2023. The government also stated that NCRB does not maintain data on the list of persons currently lodged in jail under UAPA, making it difficult to ascertain how many are undertrial in Jammu and Kashmir at present.
With over 3,600 arrests recorded in just five years, Jammu and Kashmir alone contributed a substantial share to India’s total UAPA arrests during the 2019–2023 period, reflecting the scale and intensity of counter-terror and anti-insurgency operations in the Union Territory.
