Enquiry into Forest Rights Act violation during Jammu demolition drive mere eyewash: Lone

People's Conference president Sajad Gani Lone on Wednesday said the enquiry ordered by Jammu and Kashmir government into violation of Forest Rights Act during a demolition drive in Jammu was a mere eyewash.

He said the probe will serve its purpose only if the affected people's claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) are pending.

The Awami Ittehad Party and Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have also condemned the demolition drive conducted on Tuesday.

''The National Conference-led government's move to order an enquiry into and report on any violation of the Forest Rights Act during the demolition drive in Jammu is a mere eyewash, similar to thousands of magisterial probes ordered into civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir during the last three decades to calm public anger,'' Lone said on X.

He said it would not have taken the government more than 10 minutes to find out if there has been a violation of the FRA.

''Why seven days' time for something that would have been established in 10 minutes? My understanding is that the demolition of houses will constitute a violation of FRA if their claims for individual or community rights are pending,'' he said.

Quoting Sub-section (5) of Section 4 of the Forest Rights Act, Lone said that if Scheduled Tribe or Other Traditional Forest Dweller category people are living or farming on forest land, the government cannot evict or demolish their houses until the recognition and verification procedure is complete and the FRA claims are fully rejected after due process.

''This is yet another denial and passing on the buck. Don't be surprised. If the government in the assembly will pay itself on the back for setting up of the enquiry committee and also defend the demolition, I will not be surprised. Nothing about this government surprises me,'' he added.

Police and the forest department on Tuesday carried out an anti-encroachment drive in the outskirts of Jammu city and demolished around 20-30 structures to retrieve nearly 60 kanals of prime forest land in the Raika Bandi forest belt of the lower Shivalik range.

The affected families had staged protests against the action and termed the demolition drive ''unjustified''. They had alleged that the drive was carried out without any prior notice.

Meanwhile, the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) led by Sheikh Abdul Rashid also hit out at the government over the demolition drive in Sidra area of Jammu.

AIP chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said the action was ''inhumane, anti-poor and a direct assault on economically weaker and tribal families.''.

Nabi said it is deeply unfortunate that bulldozers are being used against poor and vulnerable people allegedly residing on state land while influential land grabbers and powerful encroachers continue to enjoy complete impunity.

He questioned those who ordered the demolition drive, asking whether they were unaware that nearly 14 lakh kanals of state land in Jammu division itself were allegedly under illegal occupation.

''If the administration is genuinely serious about retrieving state land, then why are bulldozers reaching only the homes of economically weaker sections, tribal communities and poor families? Why is there selective action only against powerless people?'' he asked.

Kashmir's chief preacher Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also expressed concern over the demolition drive.

''Very disturbing news of large-scale demolition and displacement of the tribal Gujjar Bakerwal community in Jammu's Sidra area by the authorities, rendering them homeless! Selective targeting of communities under the garb of law enforcement,'' Mirwaiz said in an X post.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)