Special Correspondent: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian authorities have seized or demolished properties of three more Kashmiris in Kulgam and Baramulla districts as part of New Delhi’s continued colonial campaign aimed at economically disempowering the local population and altering the territory’s demographic composition.

According to Kashmir Media Service, police, acting on the orders of New Delhi-appointed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, confiscated a double-storeyed residential house worth approximately INR 51 lakh in Kulgam under the pretext of anti-drug camapign. The house belonged to Umar Yousuf Rather, a resident of Chinigam Frisal, and was attached under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

In a separate action, Indian police carried out a demolition drive in the jurisdiction of Police Station Manzgam in Kulgam, during which a shop and store structure belonging to Bashir Ahmad Ganie, a resident of Avil KB Pora, was demolished. Police claimed that the property had allegedly been acquired through proceeds of drug trafficking.

Meanwhile, in Baramulla, police attached a residential property worth approximately INR 30 lakh belonging to Zahid Ahmad Mir, a resident of Checkthan Chanpora, Tangmarg. The action was also carried out under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Since the abrogation of IIOJK’s special status in August 2019, the BJP-led Indian government has intensified its campaign of confiscating and demolishing Kashmiris’ properties under various pretexts, including alleged involvement in pro-freedom activities and drug-related cases.

Kashmir watchers say such actions are being used as tools of collective punishment to weaken Kashmiris economically, suppress dissent, and facilitate demographic changes in IIOJK by paving the way for the transfer of land and assets to non-local settlers.