J&K: Demolition Of Kashmiri Pandit Shops In Jammu Sparks Political Uproar

A massive controversy has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir after the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) on Thursday (21 November) demolished around a dozen shops constructed by Kashmiri Pandit migrants on land where they were initially settled by the then J&K government around 30 years ago.

Shop owners alleged that the demolition was conducted without giving them any prior notice, a claim denied by the JDA.

The JDA’s move triggered protests from several political parties, including the BJP and PDP alongside Kashmiri Pandit organisations, who condemned the move and demanded the construction of new shops for the affected members of the persecuted community, which was forced to leave their houses in Kashmir nearly three decades ago.

BJP Spokesperson G L Raina, who visited the site and met the affected families, termed the demolition “a revenge action soon after the return of the NC-Congress government headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah”.

“JDA should have provided alternatives to these families. The government must stop targeting this hapless community,” he said.

Former J&K Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti criticised the demolition on X, calling it “another blow to a community that has endured unimaginable hardships for decades”.

“What began as targeted demolitions of assets of the tribal community has now been extended to Kashmiri Pandits, further deepening their sense of alienation and loss,” she said.

Mufti urged the Omar Abdullah government to intervene in the matter.

She also shared a video on X, in which an elderly man is seen sobbing while saying: “Where will we go? We have lost everything.”

“I think my heart will stop and I will collapse. What have they done to us?” another asked.

Meanwhile, JDA vice chairman Pankaj Sharma said that the shop owners were served notice on 20 January and had given a written undertaking to vacate the land by February’s end.

However, the deadline could not be enforced due to the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

According to Sharma, the site in Muthi comprised 25 kanals of land initially allotted for one-room domed tenements for Kashmiri Pandit migrants, who were later shifted to two-room flats in Purkhoo and Jagti.

He said that even after this move, many had not vacated the initial settlements.

Sharma added that the land was later earmarked for constructing 208 flats for economically weaker sections, and as the tendering process for it was also complete, the land had to be handed over to the successful bidder.

He also said before carrying out the demolition, JDA officials called the original allottees to the spot and opened the locks in their presence.

Relief Commissioner Arvind Karwani also visited the site to evaluate the situation and assured the affected families that new shops would be constructed for them in the area.

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