Jammu: A day after the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) demolished a house belonging to the father of a journalist during an anti-encroachment drive, a Hindu neighbour on Friday offered to give a piece of land to the affected family for rebuilding their home.
The demolition exercise in Jammu city has sparked a political controversy, with leaders from across the spectrum visiting the demolition site, expressing sympathy with the affected families, and accusing the authorities of “selective action”.
Kuldeep Kumar, accompanied by his daughter Tanya, offered a five-marla plot to the family of the journalist in Jammu’s Transport Nagar area.
“I am gifting five marlas of land through my daughter to the family so that my brother can rebuild his house,” Kumar told reporters, adding that he would also assist in the construction.
The video of his gift deed to the affected family went viral on social media, drawing much praise.
Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, who visited the area and met affected families, termed the demolition “selective” and assured full support to the residents.
“I was pained to see this. Our Prime Minister believes in giving houses to the poor, not demolishing them. We will ensure all help,” he said, calling Kuldeep Kumar’s gesture a symbol of Jammu and Kashmir’s harmony.
Raina blamed the elected government for the action, saying, “The Lieutenant Governor has not used the bulldozer. I spoke to him and he said no such orders were issued. Where did the order come from? I won’t politicise it.”
The journalist said the demolished structure belonged to his father, and the family had lived there for 40 years. “No notice was served. It was selective targeting. Where were the authorities all this time?” he questioned.
An anti-encroachment drive was carried out on Thursday by the JDA, during which bulldozers demolished “illegal structures” in the Transport Nagar area, amid heavy police presence.
However, residents claimed they had been living in the area for the past four decades and were evicted without prior notice.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress working president Raman Bhalla, who visited the spot, condemned the JDA’s action and demanded accountability.
“Such things should not happen. Due legal process must be followed, and people must be heard. This is an atrocity,” he said.
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) delegation led by senior leader Varinder Singh Sonu visited the scene, also terming the exercise a “selective demolition”.
“Was only this three-marla house an encroachment? What about big land grabbers? This is shameful,” Sonu said.
Saying Chief Minister Omar Abdullah exercises direct control over the JDA as the housing minister, Sonu said the National Conference (NC) government has put salt on the wounds of people, who expected the elected government to heal their scars.
He questioned why action was limited to small landholders. “If encroachments must be removed, remove them from everywhere, including those by the most influential people. You call a three-marla owner a land grabber, but what about palatial houses on hundreds of kanals?” he questioned.
According to the JDA, the demolition drive is part of ongoing efforts to clear encroachments from its land across Jammu.
The Jammu and Kashmir government recently said in the assembly that over 16,000 kanals of JDA land is under encroachment in Jammu.
“The total JDA land under encroachment is 16,212 kanals and two marlas. In respect of Jammu Municipal Corporation, eight kanals and 16 marlas of land at Chatha are under encroachment,” read the written reply by the chief minister in the assembly.
Some portion of land was transferred to the JDA along with pre-existing encroachments, it added.
