Amar Singh Club serves eviction notice over alleged unauthorized use of colonial era property

Srinagar: The Amar Singh Club, one of Kashmir’s oldest and most prestigious heritage institutions, has formally served an eviction notice to a unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), demanding that it vacate the Club Guest House and surrounding land, which it alleges has been under unauthorized use for several years.

The detailed notice, dated April 9, 2025, a copy of which has been shared with Ziraat Times, outlines what the Club’s Managing Committee describes as decades-long illegal use of approximately 108,000 square feet of prime property along with the Club’s Guest House, which the CRPF had allegedly taken over in the early 1990s during peak militancy in the region.

The Amar Singh Club, founded in the colonial era and known for hosting dignitaries, professionals, and members of elite institutions from across India, argues that the CRPF’s continued use of the Club’s facilities has not only disrupted its functioning but caused significant financial, institutional, and reputational damage.

According to the eviction notice, the Club Guest House and adjacent land were originally used from 1990 to 2015. Following repeated representations by the Club Management, the J&K Government reportedly relocated the CRPF’s 79 Battalion in 2015 to alternate facilities at the Cricket Stadium and Royal Apartments, Rajbagh. At the time, the Club was restored and partially operational between 2016 and 2019, including for guests from affiliated clubs across India.

However, in 2018, the Club states that eight kanals of land were temporarily lent to the 13th Battalion CRPF for Amarnath Yatra deployment, which was vacated later that year. The notice alleges that soon after, in October/November 2018, the 79th Battalion forcibly reoccupied the land and in August 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370, entered and took possession of the Guest House’s dining hall, kitchen, and all rooms—allegedly without sanction.

The Club contends that the CRPF’s reoccupation was not only unauthorized but in violation of its Constitution, which requires approval from the General Body for any usage of its property.

It adds that official documents corroborate the timeline: a report by the SSP Srinagar to the DGP, dated November 23, 2020, states that the CRPF has occupied 13 rooms, a kitchen, dining hall, and the adjacent land since August 4, 2019. However, a subsequent certificate issued in 2022 curiously backdates the land occupation to 2019—an effort the Club suggests may have been aimed at “obfuscating the illegality of the land grab.”

Moreover, the Club claims the electricity dues alone have ballooned to over ₹1.02 crore, for which it has now received a disconnection notice. It adds that no rental charges have been paid for the property since 2019, nor since the initial occupation of the land in the 1990s.

Claims of Financial and Institutional Losses

In addition to alleging unpaid dues and illegal occupancy, the Club has estimated its monthly rental losses at ₹8.5 lakhs, with the Government losing around ₹7 lakhs per month in unrealized GST. The management is also seeking compensation for damages to property including furniture, TV sets, fridges, linen, and structural fittings, asserting that the facilities had been upgraded jointly with the R&B Department in 2015.

The notice laments that the unauthorized occupation has debilitated the Club’s ability to host guests from India’s top clubs, thereby impeding its growth, reputation, and future affiliations.