Hotel in J&K's Pahalgam faces action for concealing stay of foreigners

Srinagar, Dec 4 An FIR has been registered against a hotel in J&K’s Pahalgam hill station for concealing the stay of two foreign nationals at the hotel, police said on Thursday.

Police in Anantnag district said that the FIR has been registered against a hotel for violation of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.

A team from Police Station Pahalgam, during routine inspections of hotels and guest establishments in the Rafting Point area, found that Hotel Golden Heritage, Rafting Point, Yenner, had accommodated two Thai nationals without submitting the mandatory Form C, a police official said.

"The form, which must be filed online by all establishments hosting foreign guests, is a key component of the reporting and verification mechanism mandated under the Act," the official added.

The hotel, police said, had concealed the stay of the visitors, a lapse seen as a serious security concern and a clear breach of statutory obligations meant to ensure proper monitoring of foreign travellers.

"Following the detection, FIR No. 79/2025 under Sections 8 and 23(b) of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, was registered at Police Station Pahalgam. Further investigation is underway," the police official added.

Under the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, it is compulsory for foreigners arriving in J&K to register themselves with the Foreigners Registration Office.

It is also obligatory for hotels, houseboats, lodges, guest houses, and home-stay facilities to register their foreign guests with the nearest police station.

House owners in J&K have also been advised to register the details of their tenants with the police station concerned to ensure that civilians are not put to inconvenience on account of misplaced identity, etc.

Personal identification of outsiders staying in cities and towns in J&K is an essential security requirement to ensure that anti-social and anti-national elements don’t use temporary lodgings to carry out subversive activities in the UT.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor