Tribal families left homeless after demolition drive in Jammu
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Several tribal Gujjar families were left homeless in Jammu after the Jammu and Kashmir administration carried out an “anti-encroachment” demolition drive in the Sidhra area on Tuesday.
According to reports, police and paramilitary personnel accompanied bulldozers to the locality in the early hours of the morning and demolished 20 to 30 structures, including residential houses, in the Raika forest belt of the lower Shivalik range.
Officials claimed the structures were illegally built on state land and said around 60 kanals of land had been retrieved.
The demolition came days after BJP leader and Bahu MLA Vikram Randhawa alleged that large portions of land in Jammu had been encroached upon by Kashmiris and members of the Gujjar community. Randhawa himself has faced allegations of encroaching on land in Chak Ganeshu village, which he has denied, saying the matter is sub judice.
Jammu and Kashmir Forest Minister Javed Ahmad Rana criticised the demolition drive, calling it a “preplanned conspiracy” aimed at dividing people along communal lines. After meeting affected families, Rana accused the Union government of following a “divide and rule” policy.
Residents disputed the administration’s claim that the homes were recent encroachments, saying families had lived there for nearly five decades. Some alleged authorities failed to issue the mandatory 15-day prior notice required under Supreme Court guidelines before demolishing residential structures.
Visuals from the site showed debris scattered across the area as residents tried to recover belongings. One woman said her daughter’s wedding items were destroyed when her home was demolished during morning prayers.
Civil society coalition J&K RTI Movement condemned the operation as a “ruthless assault on human dignity” and demanded a judicial inquiry, rehabilitation for affected families, and action under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.