Indian govt under fire over mandatory tracking smart watches for Hajj pilgrims

The Narendra Modi regime has sparked severe outrage and deep anxiety within Muslim and civil rights circles following revelations that Indian Hajj pilgrims were being subjected to state-sponsored digital surveillance

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th May, 2026) The Narendra Modi regime has sparked severe outrage and deep anxiety within Muslim and civil rights circles following revelations that Indian Hajj pilgrims were being subjected to state-sponsored digital surveillance.

An Indian newspaper and different social media accounts have revealed that the Hajj Committee of India provided smart watches containing a suspicious application from a private company, raising serious fears of real-time tracking and data theft.

The reports have exposed the distribution of tracking smart watches to over 120,000 Muslim pilgrims under the guise of "safety," triggering massive privacy and human rights concerns during the sacred pilgrimage.

Serious allegations have surfaced indicating that the Hajj Committee of India mandated these GPS-enabled smart watches, embedded with proprietary applications linked to a private technology firm.

The experts and human rights activists warned that the devices act as intrusive real-time tracking instruments, capable of monitoring the location and movements of pilgrims.

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Critical questions were being raised regarding who held the backend access to this sensitive data and the exact nature of the installed applications.

Religious scholars and tech experts have condemned the measure, branding it completely uncalled for. They argued that pilgrims have safely navigated the holy journey for decades using conventional coordination, and that the introduction of mandatory digital trackers exposed the Modi administration's deep-rooted paranoia and hostility toward its Muslim minority.

Furthermore, serious concerns have been voiced regarding the potential violations of Saudi Arabia’s strict security protocols, which prohibit unsanctioned digital recording and photography in sensitive areas of the holy sites.

Critics question why the Indian government forced these surveillance devices upon pilgrims knowing the host country's strict local regulations, hinting at potential espionage motives.