Bulldozer Justice and Land Grabbing Spree Against Muslims in IIOJK

The right to adequate housing and property for Kashmiris has been systematically quashed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, as militarization and land confiscation have been on the rise in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The region, which has long suffered under occupation, is now facing a land-grabbing spree that disproportionately affects the Muslim population. The Indian Army continues to seize land and displace local residents, turning IIOJK into a strategic playground for its forces.

The Indian government has unilaterally altered laws and policies, with little to no resistance, to exert absolute control over the lives of Kashmiris. Governance, for India, has become a tool of oppression rather than a means of service. Indian authorities prioritize political and territorial gains over the rights and voices of the helpless Kashmiri people. The massive land grab campaign in IIOJK has resulted in millions of acres of agricultural and forest land falling under the illegal occupation of the Indian army and paramilitary forces.

Amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Development Act have granted sweeping powers to the Indian armed forces, allowing them to take possession of any land by merely declaring it “strategic.” These legal changes have facilitated the expansion of military control over vast portions of Kashmiri territory. The Indian government has also introduced electoral rights for non-local settlers, most of whom are non-Muslims, further exacerbating demographic manipulation. This move is expected to increase the voter base by 2.5 million, on top of the existing 7.6 million voters, marking a significant 30% rise in non-Kashmiri participation in elections.

The deliberate demographic changes are evident in the electoral process as well. During delimitation, six constituencies were added in Hindu-majority Jammu, increasing the number from 37 to 43, a move designed to tilt the political balance in favor of the BJP. Meanwhile, Muslim-majority areas such as Rajouri and Poonch were merged with the Anantnag constituency, effectively diluting the Muslim vote. Furthermore, the Indian government has now ruled that individuals residing in Jammu for a year or more can register as voters. Eligible residents are required to provide government-issued documents as proof, while those without documentation are subjected to home verification, a coercive mechanism to increase the non-Muslim voter base.

The Indian authorities have increasingly resorted to “bulldozer justice” to enforce their control and dispossess the local Muslim population. Government-led demolitions have become a widespread tool for land confiscation, often under the pretext of removing “illegal” structures. These demolition drives disproportionately target Kashmiri Muslims, raising concerns over selective enforcement and unlawful property seizures. Properties deemed encroachments are destroyed without clear documentation or adequate notice, leaving many residents homeless.

This heavy-handed approach has been used as a means to stifle dissent and exert authority over the region. The Indian Army has permanently displaced thousands of Kashmiris by arbitrarily designating their homes as “strategic zones.” Over 50 Muslim homes have been demolished, and between 2019 and 2022 alone, 178,005 Kanal of land was seized, displacing over 200 families. Under the “land for landless” scheme, the Modi government has allotted five Marla plots each to 9,000 people, mostly Hindus, further solidifying its settler-colonial agenda.

The situation is even graver when considering the broader scale of land occupation. More than 1,054,751 Kanals of land have been occupied by Indian armed forces, designated as “strategic” and thus permanently confiscated. The Indian army has forcibly evicted Kashmiris from their ancestral lands under the guise of security, disrupting the livelihoods of thousands. Additionally, over 550 Kanal of land has been allocated to religious trusts to promote “religious tourism,” an attempt to alter the cultural and religious landscape of the region.

The systematic targeting of Kashmiri Muslims is evident in the Modi regime’s broader policies. The revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was a crucial step in facilitating demographic shifts. These legal moves, aimed at altering the region’s ethnic composition, violate international laws and United Nations mandates, making them illegal under global norms. Despite widespread condemnation by organizations such as the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and Amnesty International, India has displayed blatant disregard for human rights and international obligations.

The Modi regime has aggressively pushed its settler-colonial agenda by allotting 20,000 Kanals of land to Hindu investors, over 200,000 acres to foreign investors, and 129 Kanals in Baramulla to security forces after removing the requirement for special certification. The Indian forces have already occupied 53,353 hectares in Kashmir. In January 2023, India initiated a process to allot 336 flats to non-Kashmiris, marking the beginning of a larger plan to settle 10,000 non-local families in the region.

Additionally, a housing colony has been planned for serving and retired Indian army officers and their families in the heart of Jammu city. This initiative, led by the Indian Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO), mirrors Israel’s illegal settlement policies in Palestine, which have been widely condemned by the international community.

The Modi government’s vision of settler colonialism is viewed as a final solution to the Kashmir dispute. By encroaching upon the fundamental rights of Kashmiris, India has stripped the region of its semi-autonomous status and imposed a Hindutva-driven agenda. These moves are intended to erase the distinct Muslim identity and culture of Kashmiris, replacing them with an artificially engineered Hindu majority. The BJP government has promoted false narratives and fabricated historical events to justify its occupation, further marginalizing the Kashmiri people.

India’s systematic use of bulldozer justice, land grabbing, and demographic manipulation in IIOJK is a blatant violation of international human rights norms. By forcibly evicting Kashmiri Muslims and replacing them with non-local settlers, the Modi regime aims to permanently alter the region’s demographics in favor of the BJP’s political and ideological goals. Despite international condemnation, India continues to defy global norms and obligations, making IIOJK a hotspot of oppression and human rights violations. The world must take urgent action to address this injustice and uphold the rights of the Kashmiri people against the ongoing colonial enterprise in the region.