Jammu, May 20 -- A joint task force on Tuesday reclaimed three hectares of encroached forest land in Raika Bandi, located on the eastern forested periphery of Jammu, 8km from the city centre. Executed under heavy security, the dawn anti-encroachment drive targeted compartment number 66/B near the Mahamaya temple, resulting in the demolition of 32 illegal concrete and temporary (kutcha) structures. The enforcement operation was conducted by a joint team comprising the forest department, Forest Protection Force, revenue officials, local police, and paramilitary personnel. To maintain law and order and oversee the legal execution of the drive, the district administration deployed multiple first-class magistrates to the site. Dr VS Senthil Kumar (IFS), chief conservator of forests (CCF) for the Jammu region, said, "Eviction notices were duly served to the encroachers". He referred to the High Court of J&K's standing instructions on joint committees of forest and revenue department officials to evict encroachers wherever they are and retrieve the forestland. He said the drive will continue across Jammu region until all state forest land is cleared of illegal encroachments. Official data presented by the Jammu and Kashmir government in the legislative assembly indicates that approximately 19,501 hectares of forestland in the region was currently under illegal encroachment. The eviction drives were usually conducted during early morning in the presence of a strong posse of police and paramilitary personnel to pre-empt any backlash in the form of violence or stone-pelting by the encroachers. This morning drive at Raika Bandi took nearly three hours to demolish 32 structures. However, NC president and former chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah described the demolition drive "totally wrong" and a "grave injustice" with hapless people. When asked to react to BJP's claims that NC has been trying to change the demography of Jammu, Dr Abdullah said, "What else can they say but the people evicted today were living there since long". "Didn't they (LG government) see it earlier? Today they woke up to it and in 43 degree Celsius temperature conducted a demolition drive. Their houses have been razed and their children are left with no water and electricity," said the NC chief. He blamed LG Manoj Sinha and his chief secretary Atal Dulloo. "This is LG's order and the CS is managing all this," he said He said that a minister (Javed Ahmed Rana) has been sent to Raika Bandi. "He is trying to ensure water supply to them so that children can be saved. Doing this under scorching summer is totally wrong," he added. The eviction triggered protests with those evicted accusing the administration of bias. Affected residents claimed they were given no warning before the eviction drive began at 5am. "A posse of police, paramilitary, and forest officials swooped on Raika Bandi while we were sleeping. We were not even allowed to collect our belongings," said Nazir Hussain, an evicted resident. Another resident challenged the basis of the demolition. "Why did the government remain silent when we were constructing these houses? If we were living on forest land illegally, how were we granted official electricity and water connections for which we pay regular rental bills?" asked Salma Bi, another evicted resident. The crackdown follows a political standoff in the area. On May 13, protesters led by Bahu BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa blocked the Jammu-Nagrota national highway (NH44) at Sidhra for two hours. The protesters accused the Omar Abdullah-led government of enabling land encroachment in Jammu to alter the region's demography. BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa said, "Though Raika Bandi falls in the constituency of Jammu East, an adjoining forest park falls in my Bahu constituency. The question here is not of constituency but to see through a larger game plan of changing Jammu's demography." Randhawa claimed that ever since the NC government assumed office in 2024, such illegal structures with water and electricity connections started coming up in Raika Bandi. "It's been nearly two years that such illegal structures have started coming up across Jammu," he said. The demonstration triggered a counter-protest the following day by local residents. They claimed legitimate rights to the land and accused Randhawa of inciting communal tension. They questioned his political interference, noting that Raika Bandi falls under the Jammu East constituency represented by BJP MLA Yudhvir Sethi. Sethi said, "The NC is in power and all departments, be it forest, revenue or JDA, are under its control. Therefore, if someone is at fault, it's the NC. The BJP is against all encroachers. They should be evicted and we have a right to do so. Such government land should be used for raising government offices to serve the people." Forest minister Javed Ahmed Rana, who met affected families, said, "Those who conducted this demolition drive will be taken to task. In this hour of crisis, we stand by you. We will also check revenue records and papers of the affected people. For now, orders have been issued to restore water supply," he said. Rana assured the affected families that he would write letters to the Prime Minister and the home minister. Rana said that he has ordered a probe. "I have ordered a probe. Let the report come, stern action will be initiated against those involved," he said. Former minister and J&K Congress working president Raman Bhalla along with former MLC Ravinder Sharma also visited the area and met affected families....