Uttarakhand demolishes 86 houses in Muslim settlement; Cong MP questions action

Nainital: The demolition of 86 houses in a Muslim settlement in Uttarakhand's Nainital district has triggered a political controversy, with Congress MP Mohammad Jawed questioning whether anti-encroachment measures were being applied equally across communities.

Jawed raised concerns over the selective implementation of rules, arguing that government action against illegal occupation of public land should be consistent and not directed at a particular religious community.

The demolition drive was conducted in the Puchhadi area of Ramnagar, where the district administration and Forest Department cleared structures allegedly built on government forest land. More than 1,200 police and forest personnel were deployed, along with 28 JCB machines, to carry out the operation.

Terai Western Forest Division Divisional Forest Officer Puneet Kumar Tomar said notices had been served to 92 people during the second phase of the drive. Nine structures were spared as their cases were pending before a court.

This was the second major clearance operation in the locality. In December 2025, authorities had demolished 51 houses and temporary structures and cleared around two acres of municipal land.

Uttarakhand Police said the latest operation was conducted under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's directions to reclaim government land and address alleged demographic changes. Dhami had previously defended similar action against religious structures, describing such encroachments as 'land jihad'.