Sidhra anti-encroachment drive triggers backlash
Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Javed Ahmed Rana Tuesday announced that he had ordered an inquiry into, what he described as, “illegal eviction drive” in Sidhra area in Jammu outskirts and would take action against all those from the forest department involved in it.
Rana, while speaking to media persons after visiting the drive spot and meeting the affected families, said, “This was absolutely an illegal and unjust action. I’ve ordered an inquiry and will not spare those involved in this illegal act. I will take action against the officials of the forest department, involved in the eviction drive.”
He asserted that he would take up the matter with the Chief Minister to seek justice for the members of the nomadic community, living here for the past fifty years.
Alleging that the Police committed excesses against the unarmed people, Rana requested the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who oversees law and order, to “order registration of an FIR against the guilty Police officers who did not allow the people to offer prayers.”
The Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment said, “As per revenue records available with me, this is revenue land belonging to these people and not the forest land. I have asked the agitated people, who have a monumental contribution in keeping J&K India with India with their sacrifices, to maintain calm despite this provocative act. I’ve assured them that their losses will be compensated and the Department of Tribal Affairs will ensure their rehabilitation. Justice will be disseminated to them and the action will be taken against those guilty.”
Earlier, while carrying out an anti-encroachment drive in the Raika Bandi forest belt in Jammu outskirts, the officials of Forest Department, Revenue department and the Police in a joint operation demolished over 30 structures (both Kachcha and concrete structures) on Tuesday.
The officials stated that around 60 kanals (around 3 Hectares) of prime forest land in Compartment No 66/B was retrieved in the drive that lasted around four hours.
The drive was conducted by the officials of the Forest department, revenue department, Forest Protection Force, Police personnel, officers of the belt force and district administration in the presence of First-Class Magistrates early morning in the forest land situated on the lower side of Mohmaya Mandir, opposite Environment Park, Bandhi area, under the jurisdiction of Police Station Bagh-e-Bahu.
Heavy deployment of Police and other security forces was made to ensure peaceful operation.
The action triggered protests by the affected families, which claimed that the drive was “illegal as it was conducted without prior notices.”
However, the government officials have contested this claim stating that the people there were already notified to vacate encroached land.
“They (officials) conducted this drive in the name to contain the menace of Chitta. Our submission to the Lieutenant Governor is – Was the whole colony involved in it? Why were all houses demolished? This is injustice,” one of the members of aggrieved families maintained.
The families alleged that they had been living in the area for the last six generations and their names were there in 1952 voter lists.
Minister for Forests condemned the action on his social media handle as well and stated that he was “deeply shocked and outraged by the clandestine, unilateral demolition of homes in Sidhra, Jammu by the LG administration.”
“Decades of heritage of our innocent Gujjar-Bakarwal families has been reduced to rubble without taking the elected, popular government or my Ministry into confidence. This is not a mere regulatory drive; it is a targeted, cruel eviction explicitly aimed at terrorising and marginalizing our nomadic tribal communities who have protected these lands for over half a century,” Rana posted.
He said, “We will not stand by as silent spectators to this selective harassment and high-handedness. I am immediately taking this up at the highest level with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Sahib to demand an immediate halt, an institutional inquiry against the responsible officers and officials, and full rehabilitation for the affected families. Our people deserve justice, not displacement!”
Drive ‘targeted’, unacceptable: MP Mian Altaf
Senior National conference leader and Member of Parliament Mian Altaf Ahmed has strongly condemned the forest department’s action against nomadic tribal-community in Sidhra area of Jammu where atleast 20 residential structures were demolished.
Mian Altaf in a statement issued here on Tuesday has strongly condemned the demolition of Gujar Kothas and hutments in Sidhra Jammu in the guise of so called anti encroachment drive. “The tribal community in Jammu and Kashmir was already in the grip of fear and insecurity due to the many such incidents in Jammu and the latest incident of demolishing their temporary structures in Jammu added to their worries and send shock waves in the entire nomadic community afresh” he said. “ I strongly condemn the demolition of several residential structures belonging to poor tribal people in Sidhra Jammu today, who have been putting up there for decades. This high handedness by the administration and forest Deptt is unacceptable” Mian Altaf said.
Mian Altaf said that these nomadic families over decades to the hilly areas stay in several places near grasslands where they have grazed their cattle for centuries , adding that the-fact which the authorities should verify first before blindly going for their selective targeting. He said they have no other source of livelihood except grazing of cattle and authorities should think thrice before evicting them from their grazing land. Mian Altaf urged the Government to probe into the incident and administration must issue instructions to stop this immediately. He also sought resettlement of the affected families.
‘Unjustified, insensitive’, Tarigami slams demolition drive
CPI(M) leader and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Tuesday criticised the demolition of shelters belonging to tribal and nomadic families in the Sidhra area of Jammu, calling the action unjustified and insensitive.
Gujjar and Bakarwal families dependent on cattle rearing and seasonal migration were already living in difficult circumstances and such actions only add to their hardship.
“The affected families have been staying in these areas for years. Any move that leaves poor people without shelter must be viewed seriously and handled with humanity,” Tarigami said in a statement.
He urged the administration to stop such drives, review the matter properly and ensure relief and rehabilitation for the affected families. He added that tribal communities should not be made to feel insecure or targeted.
Sidhra demolition drive ‘ruthless: Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari
Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari criticised the demolition drive in Jammu’s Sidhra on Tuesday, during which authorities demolished more than two dozen hutments and temporary structures, triggering protests by affected families who alleged that the drive was unjustified, ruthless, and biased against a particular community.
In his statement, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said, “The manner in which the Sidhra demolition drive was carried out is deeply concerning. How could the authorities allow such a brutal and arbitrary demolition of the residential dwellings?”
He further said, “Reports suggest that the operation continued for nearly four hours in an area largely inhabited by members of the nomadic Gujjar community, with homes and shelters demolished in a ruthless manner. Under what law can officials carry out such forced evictions without due process?”
“Many of the affected families claim they had been living there for years. If that is the case, the matter should have been handled with great care and strictly in accordance with the law and established guidelines,” he added.
Apni Party chief went on to say, “I have seen videos in which affected people clearly state that they were not even served prior notices before the demolition was carried out. If this is true, it raises extremely serious questions about the legality of the entire exercise.”
Expressing his concern over the allegations that the drive was conducted in a biased manner, targeting a particular community, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said, “The most disturbing aspect is the growing perception that this drive was carried out with bias, targeting a particular community. This may not be true, but even such a perception can damage our social fabric and the hard-earned peace and normalcy in the Union Territory.”
“I am deeply disturbed by this incident — not only because families allege they were rendered homeless and left on the roads without shelter, but also because such harsh and insensitive actions send a deeply troubling message to the people,” he added.
Urging Chief Minister to intervene into the matter, Mr Bukhari said, “I urge the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to personally intervene in this matter without delay, order a fair and transparent inquiry, ensure justice for the affected families, and take concrete steps to ensure that such incidents are never repeated.”
“After all, the fact remains that this so-called anti-encroachment drive was jointly carried out by the Forest Department, Forest Protection Force, and Revenue Department — all functioning under the elected government. Therefore, a government carrying a public mandate cannot evade accountability and responsibility for this disturbing action,” the statement added.
Treat matter with seriousness, explain who ordered demolitions: Sajad Lone to Govt
J&K Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Gani Lone on Tuesday strongly condemned the fresh wave of demolitions in Sidra Jammu, terming the developments deeply disturbing and demanding an immediate explanation from the government on who authorised the action.
In his statement, Lone questioned the government’s silence and called on the administration to treat the matter with the gravity it deserves.
“The news coming in from Sidra is disturbing to say the least. There have been demolitions yet again. Can the government please for once treat the matter with seriousness that it deserves and explain who ordered the demolitions. If it is not them then who? And what are they going to do about it” he said.
Peoples Conference President was particularly scathing in highlighting what he described as a glaring contradiction in the government’s conduct. He recalled that the same administration had put on what he called a “theatre of wailing and crying” over demolitions carried out in Jammu, projecting deep outrage for public consumption, only to then defend those very demolitions in the Legislative Assembly when questioned, claiming that all prescribed norms and procedures had been duly followed.
“…I remember that this government enacted theatre of wailing and crying over demolitions in Jammu. And in the assembly when a question was asked, they defended the same saying all norms and procedures were followed,” Lone stated pointedly.
Lone made clear that his party would not remain a silent spectator to such conduct. “I condemn the demolitions,” he further added.
Meanwhile, senior leader and Secretary General of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference, Imran Reza Ansari also expressed strong concern over the demolition drive carried out by the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department in Sidhra, Jammu.
In a tweet on X, Imran Reza Ansari wrote, “What exactly is happening in Sidhra? A demolition drive carried out by the JK Forest Department against poor Gujjar families has now triggered outrage across J&K. If these structures were “illegal”, then how were people allowed to live there for decades in the first place? Many families allege they were not even served proper notices before their homes were demolished.”
In the tweet he added, “What makes this even more ironic is that the very person heading the department is now out protesting publicly. If the department itself carried out the drive, then what exactly is his responsibility? Governance cannot work like this. Action against encroachment cannot become action only against the poor & vulnerable while influential land grabbers remain untouched. This needs to stop!!”
PC’s Imran Reza Ansari questions Sidhra demolition drive
Senior leader and Secretary General of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference, Imran Reza Ansari, on Tuesday expressed strong concern over the demolition drive carried out by the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department in Sidhra, Jammu.
In a tweet on X, Imran Reza Ansari wrote, “What exactly is happening in Sidhra? A demolition drive carried out by the JK Forest Department against poor Gujjar families has now triggered outrage across J&K. If these structures were “illegal”, then how were people allowed to live there for decades in the first place? Many families allege they were not even served proper notices before their homes were demolished.”
In the tweet he added, “What makes this even more ironic is that the very person heading the department is now out protesting publicly. If the department itself carried out the drive, then what exactly is his responsibility? Governance cannot work like this. Action against encroachment cannot become action only against the poor & vulnerable while influential land grabbers remain untouched. This needs to stop!!”
Govt cannot keep on saying ‘we don’t know’:MLA Mehraj Malik
MLA Doda Mehraj Malik on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the J&K government over the ongoing demolition drive in Sidhra, Jammu, questioning its accountability on key governance issues.
In a post on X, MLA Doda Mehraj Malik wrote. “The present government cannot keep saying “we don’t know” about every issue. Demolition drives at Sidhra are happening under their watch. If the government has no control over forest demolitions, electricity, police, revenue or even the collapsing health sector, then what exactly is this government doing People voted for governance, not excuses. The Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah must answer the people honestly and take responsibility instead of shifting blame.”
