A political controversy erupted on Tuesday after an anti-encroachment drive led to the demolition of several structures allegedly built on government land on the outskirts of Jammu city, triggering emotional scenes among locals, many of whom belong to the Gujjar community.
Teams from the Forest Department, Forest Protection Force, police and district administration reached the Raika Bandi area near Sidhra early in the morning to clear alleged encroachments on forest land in compartment number 66/B, located near the Mahamaya Temple.
"A joint team of the Forest Department, Forest Protection Force, police personnel, and district administration in the presence of First-Class Magistrates, conducted the operation and demolished approximately 32 illegally constructed concrete as well as temporary structures during the drive. Nearly 3 hectares of encroached forest land were reclaimed during the operation," an official informed.
Locals alleged that they were not given adequate time to remove their belongings before the demolition began.
The issue soon snowballed into a political controversy after Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Javed Ahmed Rana reached the spot and ordered an inquiry into the anti-encroachment drive. Speaking to the media, Rana said an inquiry had been initiated against the Forest Department officials responsible for the operation.
"There is no place for such an action in a civilised society. Those who suffered losses will be compensated and rehabilitated," he said.
In a statement issued later, Rana alleged that the demolition drive was a "clandestine and unilateral" action carried out by the Lieutenant Governor's administration without consulting the elected government or his ministry.
"Decades of heritage of our innocent Gujjar-Bakarwal families have been reduced to rubble without taking the elected government or my ministry into confidence. This is not merely a regulatory drive but a targeted eviction aimed at marginalising tribal communities," the Minister alleged.
Nadia Choudhary, a local resident whose house was demolished, claimed that more than 500 personnel arrived at the site around 5 am with bulldozers. "They asked us to remove our belongings and immediately started demolishing the houses," she alleged.
Officials, however, maintained that the drive was conducted after following due legal procedure and that the structures had gradually come up on encroached forest land.
J&K Congress working president Raman Bhalla reached the spot and condemned the action, terming it as “barbaric and inhuman".
Bhalla along with others party leaders expressed sympathies with those whose homes were demolished. He also sought provision of temporary shelter to the uprooted families till preliminary enquiry.
Member of Parliament from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency Mian Altaf Ahmad also condemned the demolition drive. "I strongly condemn the demolition of residential structures belonging to poor tribal families in Sidhra. Such high-handedness by the administration and Forest Department is unacceptable," he said.
PDP youth president Aditya Gupta alleged that the drive reflected selective action against weaker sections. "The demolition drive has once again exposed a system that protects the powerful while crushing the poor. Illegal encroachments by influential people continue untouched, while small homes of struggling families are bulldozed," he said.
The controversy comes days after BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa held a protest in Sidhra, blocking the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and alleging large-scale encroachment on forest land near the Mahamaya Temple.
He had questioned how water and electricity connections were provided to alleged encroachers inside the forest area and sought accountability from the authorities concerned.
According to official figures, Jammu district has more than 1.45 lakh kanals of encroached land.