6 days ago
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A large demolition thrust against the nomadic Gujjar and Bakarwal community, allegedly by the Lieutenant Governor medication successful Jammu connected Tuesday (May 19, 2026), evoked protests from ruling National Conference (NC) ministers and legislators, with Cabinet curate Javed Rana terming it arsenic “a targeted and cruel eviction aimed astatine terrorising and marginalising our nomadic tribal”.
Officials said a associated squad of the Forest Department, accompanied by a immense posse of the J&K Police, marched towards the Raika Bandi country of Jammu with earth-moving machines. In astir 4 hours of demolition drive, eyewitnesses said 32 structures dispersed implicit astir 3 hectares of onshore adjacent to forests were demolished. Officials said it was an anti-encroachment drive, an allegation contested by the inhabitants.
“We person been surviving present for decades. Today, they came with machines. I was not adjacent allowed to implicit my namaz (prayers). The machines brought down my location wrong minutes,” a section nonmigratory told J&K curate Rana, who toured the country connected Tuesday evening (May 19, 2026).
Locals told the Minister that the demolition thrust was carried retired nether the pretext of a run against cause smugglers. “How could they (officials) demolish each the houses to punish conscionable a fewer alleged cause peddlers successful the area?” said different local.
The demolition thrust evoked crisp reactions and protests from the determination parties successful J&K. Cabinet Minister Rana, who holds the portfolio of Forest and Tribal Affairs, said helium was “shocked and outraged by the clandestine, unilateral demolition of homes successful Sidhra, Jammu, by the L-G administration”.
“Decades of practice of our guiltless Gujjar-Bakarwal families person been reduced to rubble without taking the elected, fashionable Government oregon my Ministry into confidence,” Mr. Rana said.
He said this was “not a specified regulatory drive”. “It is simply a targeted, cruel eviction explicitly aimed astatine terrorising and marginalising our nomadic tribal communities who person protected these lands for implicit fractional a century. We volition not basal by arsenic soundless spectators to this selective harassment and high-handedness,” Mr. Rana said.
He said those evicted clasp elector cards, ration cards and adjacent energy supply. He said the substance volition beryllium taken up with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah “to request an contiguous halt, an organization enquiry against the liable officers and officials, and afloat rehabilitation for the affected families”. “Our radical merit justice, not displacement,” helium added.
NC Member of Parliament (MP) Mian Altaf sought “action against those officials progressive successful the demolition drive”. “These radical person been surviving for much than 5 decades. They were harassed without reason. No announcement was issued to them. The Supreme Court had passed orders that bulldozers should not beryllium used. It has fuelled anger. They are demanding compensation and an apology,” Mr. Altaf said.
J&K Peoples Conference main Sajad Lone said it was “a disturbing development”. “Can the authorities please, for once, dainty the substance with the seriousness that it deserves and explicate who ordered the demolitions. If it is not them, past who? And what are they going to bash astir it? Because I retrieve that this authorities enacted a theatre of wailing and crying implicit demolitions successful Jammu,” Mr. Lone said.
People’s Democratic Party person Aditya Gupta said the demolition thrust “again exposed a strategy that protects the almighty portion crushing the poor”. “Influentials proceed to beryllium untouched, but tiny homes connected 2 Marlas of struggling families are bulldozed without mercy,” Mr. Gupta said.
He said, “If large hotels were regularised and crushers were allowed to tally connected Jammu Development Authority land, wherefore is dignity denied to mean citizens?” “The PDP onshore regularisation Bill was meant to halt precisely this selective injustice. My bosom goes retired to the children and families rendered stateless by the NC-BJP nexus,” Mr. Gupta said.
