43 minutes ago
4
ARTICLE AD BOX
3 min readJammuMay 27, 2026 07:18 PM IST
Jammu and Kashmir’s Forest and Tribal Affairs Minister Javed Rana reached out to the Gujjars-Bakarwals on Eid, promising action against officials found responsible. (Credits: X/Jawed Ahmed Rana)
As the demolition row continues to gather steam in the Raika Bandi forests in Jammu’s Sidra, Jammu and Kashmir’s Forest and Tribal Affairs Minister Javed Rana reached out to the Gujjars-Bakarwals on Eid, promising action against officials found responsible.
“Two separate enquiry committees have been set up by the government – one under the tribal affairs department to examine violations of the provisions of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) that allow tribals to stay in forests, and the second, to ascertain whether officials followed protocol before carrying out the demolitions,” he said, adding: “Action will be taken against concerned officials once the enquiry reports come”.
Rana, a Gurjar leader, promised action against those committing “the excesses — no matter how powerful or senior they are”. “The inquiry is examining where violations took place, who is responsible [for this action], and why, if these people came under the Forest Rights Act, were not given their rights till now,” he said.
This comes as a major anti-encroachment drive involving the demolition of houses belonging to nomadic Gujjar and Bakarwal communities in the Bandi forest, which, together with a parallel campaign to demolish residential and commercial properties linked to alleged drug peddlers, has widened fissures between the elected government and the bureaucracy.
Teams from the forest department and the police demolished more than 30 structures in a major anti-encroachment drive in the Raika Bandi forest belt on the outskirts of Jammu city last week — a move the elected government termed “inhuman, anti-people and against law”.
Although the forest department comes under the elected Omar Abdullah government, the transfer and posting of IAS officers fall under the Lt Governor’s remit. The Abdullah government has frequently accused the Lt Governor-led administration of interference in governance matters, often citing it while seeking restoration of statehood.
The demolition drive, which came days after BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa held a demonstration alleging encroachments on forests and state land in his Bahu assembly constituency. As a result of this widening chasm, Rana stayed away from a function organised by his own department on International Day for Biological Diversity in Dachigam on May 22.
English (US) ·