Srinagar/JAMMU: As the Jammu & Kashmir government on Wednesday constituted a committee to probe possible violations of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 during the demolition of tribal houses in Sidhra, Jammu, on Tuesday, JK Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara called it as a sham and eyewash to pacify public anger.
The Department of Tribal Affairs has set up a two-member committee to enquire into and report on any violations of the Act during the recent demolition of houses belonging to tribal families in Raiki Bandi (Sidhra), Jammu, an official order said.
According to the official order, the panel will comprise Mohammad Mumtaz Ali, Director Tribal Affairs; and Muzamil Hassan Choudhary. The committee has been directed to submit its report within seven days of the issuance of the order.
The probe was ordered a day after authorities demolished several structures and reclaimed nearly 60 kanals of prime forest land in the Mahamaya forest belt.
Meanwhile, J&K Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Gani Lone on Wednesday lashed out at NC-led Government’s decision to order an enquiry into alleged violations of the Forest Rights Act during the demolition drive in Jammu, dismissing it outright as a “mere eyewash” and warning that it follows a long and familiar pattern of institutional deception in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lone drew a sharp and damning parallel between the latest probe and a decades-long tradition of inconclusive investigations, saying the move is “similar to thousands of magisterial probes ordered into civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir during the last three decades to calm public anger.”
In his assessment, the enquiry is not a step toward justice, it is a step away from it, designed to deflect rather than deliver accountability.
He was particularly unsparing on the timeline granted for the probe, exposing what he called a glaring contradiction at the heart of the government’s decision.
“It wouldn’t have taken the NC-led government more than 10 minutes to find out whether there has been a violation of the FRA. Why seven days time for something which would have been established in 10 minutes,” Lone demanded, making clear that the delay itself speaks volumes.
He added that “this probe will serve a purpose only if the claims of the affected people under FRA are pending”, a foundational fact the government chose to sidestep rather than address.
Lone then turned to the law itself, grounding his critique in the precise language of the Forest Rights Act. His understanding, he said, is that “the demolition of houses will constitute a violation of FRA if their claims for individual/community rights are pending.”
He quoted Sub-section (5) of Section 4 of the FRA directly, “Save as otherwise provided, no member of a forest dwelling Scheduled Tribe or other traditional forest dweller shall be evicted or removed from forest land under his occupation till the recognition and verification procedure is complete.”
The implication, Lone explained, is unambiguous. “If you are a Scheduled Tribe or Other Traditional Forest Dweller living or farming on forest land, the govt cannot evict you or demolish your house until your FRA claim is fully rejected after due process.”
By ordering bulldozers before that process was complete, if indeed claims were pending, the government may have acted not just insensitively, but illegally.
Describing the enquiry as “yet another denial and passing on the buck,” Lone also offered a preview of what he fully expects to unfold when the matter is taken up in the assembly.
“Don’t be surprised if the government in the assembly pats itself on the back for setting up of the enquiry committee and also defends the demolition. I will not be surprised. Nothing about this government surprises me,” he said, his words carrying the weight of a politician who has watched this script play out too many times before.
