The BJP-led Indian government is escalating its repressive measures in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) by deploying an additional 500 companies of paramilitary forces under the guise of facilitating elections.

According to a Kashmir Media Service report on Thursday, 500 more companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPFs) have started arriving IIOJK, with the full deployment to be complete within a week time, Indian officials said.

They added that these forces will be assigned to area domination patrolling, securing polling stations, and overseeing election rallies. The arrival of these additional forces comes on top of a similar deployment ahead of the Hindu Amarnath Yatra in June, which saw 500 CAPF companies already stationed and retained in the occupied territory.

The so-called assembly elections in IIOJK are set to be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1.

The Indian government’s tactics are focused heavily on the hilly areas of Jammu, including Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur, and Kathua districts.

In addition to this latest deployment, the BJP government has already sent nearly 3,000 troops to the Jammu division to intimidate and harass those advocating for the UN-recognized right to self-determination. Furthermore, 2,000 Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have been stationed along the Working Boundary in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts, and an additional 1,500 to 2,000 Assam Rifles troops are being deployed to reinforce the oppressive presence.

IIOJK remains the world’s most heavily militarized zone, and this new surge in troop deployment will exacerbate the already dire situation for the Kashmiris, further tightening the noose around their freedoms and increasing their suffering.