The Kashmir social activist Kuldeep Sharma carried out a generous act with the intention of ensuring that political attempts to pit Hindus against Muslims would no longer work, and he called for unity between both communities as he handed over the papers of his land to the journalist whose house had been demolished by the authorities.
He added that the demolition was a shameless act by a government that should protect the properties of its citizens and provide shelter to those who have none, rather than making people homeless.
Sharma, a resident of Jammu’s Jewel area, took the step after witnessing the condition of Daing’s family, who had been living under a makeshift tarpaulin structure in the Channi locality following the demolition, and he sought to show that communal harmony could still prevail in a region long marked by political tensions and frequent polarisation.
His gesture resonated widely across Jammu, a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party and an area where communal issues are often exploited for political mobilisation, and many saw his action as an effort to reaffirm traditional bonds between local communities despite the broader climate of mistrust.
Daing’s house had been razed days after he reported on a narcotics case in which he attempted to connect a police officer to suspected cross-border drug smugglers, and although the Jammu and Kashmir administration denied that the journalist was targeted, insisting that the structure was built on state land, the family maintained that the house had stood for four decades and that procedural norms were not followed during the demolition.
Senior police officials also rejected the substance of the journalist’s reporting, yet the local community’s response suggested a widespread belief that the action was disproportionate and that the family had been subjected to unnecessary hardship.
Sharma’s family, including his daughter, expressed solidarity with the displaced journalist and underscored their concern at the sight of children and elders left without shelter, and they argued that political propaganda designed to sow division should be resisted so that social harmony may be preserved.
Daing’s father, also present when the land papers were handed over, acknowledged the extensive public support shown since the demolition and insisted that such gestures demonstrated the continuing existence of communal amity in Jammu and Kashmir, even at a time when truth-telling in public life appeared increasingly fraught.
Rashmi Sharma, the Jammu-based journalist who first reported the heart-warming gesture, noted that Kuldeep Sharma had long been known for assisting vulnerable residents in his neighbourhood and had been deeply disturbed when the demolition team, accompanied by police and paramilitary personnel, arrived at the Daing residence, and she explained that his decision arose from a belief that citizens must stand together when truth and fairness come under strain.