Indian police attach properties of 16 activists in IIOJK
Jammu: Continuing its campaign of dispossessing Kashmiris of their land and assets, Indian police have attached properties of sixteen Kashmiri activists in Ramban and Reasi districts of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, acting on the orders of New Delhi-appointed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the authorities attached 11 immovable properties in Ramban district and five in Reasi district under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other laws.
A total of 15 Kanals and three marlas of land was attached in Ramban district, while 1.7 hectares of land was seized in Reasi district. The attachment orders were issued by IIOJK Director General of Police, Nalin Prabhat, a non-Kashmiri officer known for his hardline Hindutva approach.
Seeking to justify the action, an Indian police spokesman claimed the properties belonged to individuals allegedly involved in anti-India and pro-freedom activities.
Political analysts and Kashmir watchers said that property seizures have become another instrument of repression, adding to the wide range of coercive measures employed to intimidate and economically marginalize Kashmiris. They said black laws such as the UAPA grant Indian forces sweeping powers to arrest, detain and prosecute Kashmiris while enabling the confiscation of their properties with impunity.
Since the BJP-led Indian government’s August 5, 2019 move to revoke the special status of the internationally recognized disputed territory, the authorities have intensified the seizure of Kashmiri homes, land and other properties. The campaign is aimed at economically weakening Kashmiris, suppressing the ongoing freedom movement and facilitating demographic change in the occupied territory.
The Indian authorities have confiscated more than 100 properties belonging to Kashmiris so far this year.
