Jammu scribe house demolished in JDA anti-encroachment drive, Hindu neighbour offers land to rebuild
The house, built 40 years ago by Daing’s father, was razed on Friday in the Transport Nagar area in the presence of a heavy police contingent.
Daing, who runs a local news portal, claimed the demolition was carried out without prior notice and described it as selective targeting, alleging it was linked to his reporting on sensitive issues, including cross-border drug trafficking.
The demolition of a house belonging to journalist Arafaz Ahmad Daing during a Jammu Development Authority (JDA) anti-encroachment drive has ignited a political row, with opposition parties accusing authorities of selective targeting and raising questions over due process.
The house, built 40 years ago by Daing’s father, was razed on Friday in the Transport Nagar area in the presence of a heavy police contingent.
Daing, who runs a local news portal, claimed the demolition was carried out without prior notice and described it as selective targeting, alleging it was linked to his reporting on sensitive issues, including cross-border drug trafficking.
Soon after, in a rare act of solidarity, Daing’s Hindu neighbour Kuldeep Kumar, accompanied by his daughter Tanya, offered the family a five-marla plot of land to rebuild their home.
“I am gifting this land so that my brother can reconstruct his house. I will also assist in the construction,” Kumar told reporters. A video of the gift deed went viral on social media, drawing praise for the gesture.
The demolition has, meanwhile, sparked condemnation from multiple political quarters. F
Former Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, who visited the site, called the exercise “selective” and assured support for the affected families. “Our Prime Minister believes in giving houses to the poor, not demolishing them,” he said. Raina added that the Lieutenant Governor had no involvement in authorising the drive.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress working president Raman Bhalla described the demolition as an “atrocity” and called for accountability, emphasizing the need for due legal process. PDP leaders have also criticised the move as selective, questioning why only small landholders were targeted while larger encroachments remained untouched.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah labelled the demolition a conspiracy to defame the elected government, blaming officers posted by the Lieutenant Governor for carrying out the action without approvals. Abdullah said he had requested a full list of JDA land encroachments in Jammu and sought clarification on why Daing’s house was singled out.
The JDA later stated that the exercise was part of ongoing efforts to clear encroachments across Jammu. According to a recent assembly reply, over 16,000 kanals of JDA land are under encroachment in the city. According to officials, portions of some land had been transferred to the JDA along with pre-existing encroachments.
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