2 min readJammuMay 19, 2026 08:42 PM IST
Jammu & Kashmir Forest Minister Javed Ahmed Rana Monday ordered a probe into a demolition drive by the forest department near Mahamaya forests on the outskirts of Jammu city — a development that could signal rift between the elected government and the UT bureaucracy.
Rana, who described the drive as “inhuman, anti-people and against law”, also asked Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to initiate action against police personnel for “excesses” against people during the drive. This comes after the forest department, assisted by police, demolished 30-40 structures, including pucca houses, and claimed to have retrieved nearly 60 kanals of “prime forest land”.
The minister, however, denied that it was forest land, saying it fell outside the barbed-wire fencing and that tribals occupying the land had been living there for 40 years and were reflected in revenue records.
Significantly, the forest department comes under the elected Omar Abdullah government.
“A number of them had migrated to Jammu during peak militancy,” he said. “They had all been provided with electricity and water connections as well. The administration is resorting to using bulldozers against people who have a role in the security and integrity of the nation, and who have always stood with it during wars against Pakistan and militancy. Such anti-people drives damage the image of democracy.”
The development comes after the drive sparked a row, with Congress working president and former revenue minister Raman Bhalla visiting the spot.
The Omar Abdullah government has frequently accused the Lieutenant Governor-led administration of interference in governance matters, often citing it while seeking restoration of statehood.
