BJP MLA claims Kashmiris ‘illegally occupying land’ in Jammu, sparks row

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Vikram Randhawa on Friday alleged that residents of the Kashmir Valley had illegally occupied land belonging to the Jammu Development Authority in Jammu city, The Hindu reported.

The claims made by Randhawa sparked a political row.

Raising the matter in the Assembly, Randhawa claimed that more than 16,000 kanals of land in Jammu had been encroached and claimed that 90% of it had been occupied by persons from the Kashmir Valley.

“The Jammu and Kashmir government should probe and take action,” he said.

He further alleged that the alleged encroachments were a “sinister move to change the demography of Jammu”, The Hindu reported.

He said that there would be no objections to Kashmiris purchasing land and building houses in Jammu by following due process, but they should not do so on government land, PTI reported.

Outside the House, the BJP MLA alleged that the government had been withholding the list of alleged encroachers because they were Kashmiris.

Land Grabbing in Jammu a Sinister Move to Change Demography: Vikram Randhawa pic.twitter.com/foJHsWmNDn— Daily Excelsior (@DailyExcelsior1) February 13, 2026

Replying to Randhawa, Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo cited records as showing that 688 kanals and 17 marlas of land in Bahu tehsil and 579 kanals in Jammu South tehsil had been encroached upon, the Hindustan Times reported.

Eight kanals and 160 marlas both amount to one acre.

“These encroachments are old and are...

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