About 20 structures demolished in Jammu’s Sidhra; Forest Minister alleges ‘targeted action against Gujjar families’

Jammu, May 19: Around 20 houses and temporary structures were demolished by authorities in the Sidhra area of Jammu on Tuesday during an anti-encroachment drive targeting alleged illegal occupation of forest land.

Officials said a large team comprising Forest Department personnel and police carried out the demolition operation, maintaining that the structures had been raised illegally on forest land. The drive witnessed the deployment of police and civil officials in the area to maintain law and order during the exercise.

The demolished structures were reportedly occupied by members of the Gujjar community, including nomadic Gujjar-Bakarwal families residing in the area for several years.

Reacting strongly to the action after visiting the site, Jammu & Kashmir Forest Minister Javed Ahmed Rana termed the demolition “clandestine” and accused the administration of acting without consulting the elected government.

In a statement, Rana said he was “deeply shocked and outraged” by the demolition carried out by the administration under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. He alleged that homes belonging to “innocent Gujjar-Bakarwal families” had been reduced to rubble without taking either the elected government or his ministry into confidence.

The minister described the operation as more than a routine regulatory exercise, alleging that it amounted to a “targeted, cruel eviction” aimed at marginalizing nomadic tribal communities.

“These communities have protected these lands for over half a century,” Rana said, while accusing authorities of selective harassment and high-handedness.

He further said he would take up the matter with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and seek an immediate halt to such actions, an institutional inquiry into the conduct of the officials involved, and rehabilitation measures for the affected families.

“Our people deserve justice, not displacement,” the minister said.

There was no immediate official response from the administration regarding the allegations made by the minister or on the exact status of the land under dispute.