Threatens any tinkering in Jammu to have cascading effect in Kashmir
NL Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 20
People's Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has termed the anti-encroachment drive to vacate the state and forest land as selective targeting of tribal Muslim community in Jammu Division.
Highlighting the recent instances of a joint drive to remove the encroachment of JDA and District Administration with the help of police, she accused that the community is being targeted and harassed. She asked the governor's administration to take immediate measures to restore the confidence of what she called the vulnerable community in the system.
She said that selective eviction notices were served to 33 nomadic families in Jammu after the collapse of government and as recent as December 2018, an anti encroachment drive against Gujjar and other Muslim families in Jammu was initiated.
It is pertinent to mention that the District Administration and JDA with other line departments last month attempted to remove the illegal encroachment of state and JDA land adjoining the Bank of Tawi river near Gole Gujral which was scuttled by the encroachers attacking the official team and pelting stones with the result the drive for removing encroachment failed. The district administration which always allowed such element to encroach the state and forest land had initiated the drive to remove the encroachments after the J&K High Court passed strictures against the officials.
She said that Muslims of Jammu are being openly threatened with situations like the partition by senior members of extremist who talked about the dangers posed to the people of Jammu from the growth of Muslim colonies in and around Jammu, and how it is a concerted effort to change its demography. These are reflective of the mindset of the perpetrators of such bigotry, she said.
She pointed out that that circle rates in Sunjwan Bathindi areas have been raised to 1.5 crore per kanal while as in Chawadi it is 65 lakh per kanal. This she said, has been done is a deliberate attempt to make purchase of land in areas being inhabited by Muslim in particular difficult.
Attempts are being made to include all Muslim areas under Jammu municipality so that constructions are stopped on all non-proprietary land and without permission, she added.
She warned the Government that giving in communal designs is like playing with fire in an already politically fragile state. “Any tinkering with the minorities in Jammu will have cascading effect in Kashmir and the situation can go out of control. The governor administration must therefore be cautious in dealing with this matter”, she said.
