Kashmir demolition drive leaves Muslim tribal families homeless

SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — Dozens of homes belonging to Muslim tribal families were demolished in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir this week, leaving scores homeless. 

The move triggered allegations that authorities were selectively targeting vulnerable nomadic communities under anti-encroachment drives.

The demolition operation took place Tuesday in the Sidhra area on the outskirts of Jammu city, where forest officials, police and paramilitary forces bulldozed around 32 structures belonging to Gujjar and Bakarwal Muslim families, claiming the homes were built on forest land.

Residents said authorities arrived before dawn with bulldozers and heavy security deployment, giving families little time to remove belongings before demolitions began.

Several residents alleged that women, children and elderly people were still inside some homes when the operation started. Locals claimed more than 500 security personnel participated in the drive.

The Gujjar and Bakarwal communities are traditionally nomadic Muslim tribes spread across Jammu and Kashmir and are recognized as Scheduled Tribes under Indian law. 

Rights advocates and local political leaders have increasingly raised concerns that demolition campaigns and forest eviction drives disproportionately affect poor Muslim communities lacking formal land documentation.

Jammu and Kashmir Forest and Tribal Affairs Minister Javed Ahmed Rana condemned the operation, calling it a “targeted, cruel eviction” aimed at “terrorising and marginalising” tribal families.

In a statement posted on X, Rana accused the administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha — New Delhi’s unelected representative in the territory — of bypassing the elected government and demolishing decades-old homes without consultation.

He said the operation reflected “selective harassment and high-handedness” against nomadic communities and announced temporary relief measures for displaced families, including tents, food supplies and restoration of water and electricity access.

The demolition also drew condemnation from opposition leaders and activists who accused authorities of using bulldozer operations against politically and economically vulnerable Muslim communities.

People’s Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti, who visited the demolition site, said displaced families had been left exposed to extreme summer heat without shelter or basic necessities.

“Many children have developed eye infections because they have been sleeping outside for days,” Mufti said, adding that residents alleged copies of the Quran and household belongings were thrown away during the operation.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary described the demolitions as “unfortunate,” while Member of Parliament Mian Altaf Ahmad called the administration’s actions “unacceptable.” Jammu-based journalist Zaffar Choudhary described the operation as “the march of the might of the state with the bulldozer as judge, jury and executioner.”

The controversy comes amid growing criticism of demolition campaigns across several BJP-ruled parts of India, where Muslim homes, businesses and religious structures have increasingly been targeted under anti-encroachment or punitive actions that rights groups describe as discriminatory and politically motivated.