India’s Bulldozer Politics Reaches Kashmir’s Tribal Muslims
Before sunrise on 19 May 2026, bulldozers and security personnel entered Raika Bandi in Sidhra, on the outskirts of Jammu. By the end of the operation, around 32 structures belonging largely to Gujjar and Bakarwal Muslim families had reportedly been demolished.
Officials described the operation as an anti-encroachment drive intended to recover approximately 60 kanals of forest land. Residents disputed the official account, saying the authorities arrived at around five in the morning and gave families little opportunity to remove their belongings.
The exact number of demolished structures remains contested. Most reports place it between 20 and 40, with approximately 32 most frequently cited. Mehbooba Mufti later claimed around 60 houses were affected, but that higher figure has not been consistently corroborated.
Who Are the Gujjar and Bakarwal?
The Gujjar and Bakarwal are predominantly Muslim tribal communities with a long history of pastoralism and seasonal migration across Jammu and Kashmir. Both are officially recognised as Scheduled Tribes under Indian law.
Many families have established permanent or semi-permanent settlements while continuing to depend on livestock and seasonal movement. Supporters argue that their historical relationship with forest land and protected tribal status should have required consultation, meaningful notice and careful examination of their claims before their homes were removed.
Authorities maintain that Scheduled Tribe status does not automatically legalise construction on protected forest land. That underlying land dispute has not been conclusively resolved in the public record.
Families Say They Had Almost No Warning
Residents said children, elderly relatives and women were inside some homes when the operation began. Families reported losing shelter and household belongings and being left outdoors during severe summer heat.
After visiting the site, Iltija Mufti said displaced families, including children, had been left exposed without adequate shelter.
Officials maintained that notices had been issued. The affected families said they received no meaningful warning that would have allowed them to challenge the operation or safely remove their possessions.
The dispute is therefore not only about whether the structures were legal. It is also about whether due process was followed before vulnerable families lost their homes.
The Minister Said He Was Bypassed
Jammu and Kashmir’s Forest and Tribal Affairs Minister, Javed Ahmed Rana, publicly condemned the operation. He described it as a clandestine and targeted eviction and said neither his ministry nor the elected government had been consulted.
After visiting Sidhra, Rana called the demolition unjust and promised action against officials found responsible.
He also challenged the Forest Department’s description of the land, saying revenue records available to him indicated the land belonged to the residents and was not under Forest Department jurisdiction. Officials continued to defend the operation as lawful action against encroachment.
Rana later said temporary tents, food, electricity and water had been arranged. Public reporting has not established whether every displaced household received permanent rehabilitation or compensation.
The Report Nobody Has Seen
On 20 May, the government announced a two-member fact-finding committee under the Department of Tribal Affairs and gave it seven days to report. A second, separate inquiry followed under the Revenue Department later that same month.
On 1 August, more than ten weeks after the demolition, Rana confirmed that the Tribal Affairs Department’s inquiry had been completed and its report submitted to the government. He said the government would study the findings and act wherever illegal actions were established.
More than two weeks after that confirmation, the findings have still not been made public. No official has been named responsible. No compensation outcome has been confirmed.
Rana also said Raj Bhawan and the Chief Secretary had told him the demolition was not carried out on their instructions. He blamed unnamed officials for exploiting Jammu and Kashmir’s divided administrative structure.
The government has the answer. It has had it for weeks. It still hasn’t told the public what it says.
A Wider Pattern Across India
For critics, Sidhra is not an isolated land dispute.
Across India, demolition drives involving Muslim homes, neighbourhoods and, in some cases, mosques have become increasingly controversial. Authorities generally describe these actions as lawful enforcement against illegal construction or encroachment. Critics call the practice bulldozer politics, arguing that Muslim communities have repeatedly carried a disproportionate share of the consequences.
Whether Sidhra legally belongs within that wider pattern remains disputed. But the political symbolism is difficult to ignore. A form of state action already associated with Muslim spaces elsewhere in India has now affected one of Kashmir’s most vulnerable tribal Muslim communities.
If the demolitions were lawful, the completed inquiry should be able to show that. If they weren’t, the public deserves to see the same report the government has already read.
A finished investigation nobody can see is not accountability.
By Shizza Umer
Sources
Maktoob Media · The Statesman · The Kashmir Images · Muslim Network TV
Deccan Chronicle · Kashmir Life · The TribuneBrighter Kashmir · Kashmir Observer
