Panic among people as eviction drive continues

As bulldozers moved towards a house in Kanelwon village in South Kashmir’s Bijbehara tehsil a few days ago, a woman came out crying and wailing. The government had ordered seizure of her house and shops running on its ground floor. “Where will we go? These shops are our lifeline. My son has a grocery shop. They are out to demolish all the shops. Let them hit us with missiles. Let them throw bombs on us,” said the woman owner of the house.

According to her, for the past 15 years she had been living in that house in which shops were constructed later. “We have all the documents. I have given my blood to my house and to these shops,” the woman said.

Another shopkeeper said, “I have three children. The government is taking livelihood from me.” Another protesting shopkeeper said the government was turning Kashmir into Afghanistan and pushing Kashmiri youth towards violence after leaving them homeless and jobless.

Though the Chief Secretary has said the drive is against rich encroachers, political parties allege small shopkeepers and poor are bearing the brunt. “The rich will hire lawyers and get back the land but the poor will suffer,” said Peoples Conference leader Sajad Lone.

Former Law Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig said, “If a person occupies the state land for 30 years, he becomes its rightful owner. But I don’t know under what law the government is carrying out these demolitions and serving eviction notices to people who are living in these structures for decades.”

Meanwhile, the administration continued its demolition drive on Thursday as it took possession of a commercial building, allegedly constructed by Sofi Yousuf, vice-president of J&K BJP, on state land at Srigufwara in Anantnag district. The building, which has 20 shops, was first seized by the Revenue Department as it was found constructed on state land, officials said. It was later handed over to the Rural Development Department for public use.