SRINAGAR, Oct. 6
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Tuesday demolished a structure allegedly built by relatives of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru on state land, officials said.
The structure, described by officials as a shed, had been constructed on a flood basin in the Sopore area. A Revenue Department team demolished it as part of action against the alleged unauthorised occupation of government land.
Officials said the structure had been erected on state land in violation of government regulations. They alleged that members of Guru’s family had built and occupied the structure.
The action was carried out by revenue authorities responsible for government land and encroachment-related matters in the district.
No details were provided about the precise size of the structure, when it was constructed or how long it had been occupied. There was also no information on whether any notice had been issued before the demolition or whether the occupants had challenged the action.
Officials did not report any arrests or confrontation during the demolition.
The location of the structure on a flood basin is significant because such areas can be subject to restrictions on construction and occupation. In this case, however, authorities specifically cited its construction on state land and violation of government regulations as the basis for the action.
The administration has not indicated whether additional structures in the area are under scrutiny or whether Tuesday’s demolition was part of a wider anti-encroachment drive.
The identity of the relatives who allegedly built or occupied the shed was also not disclosed.
Afzal Guru was convicted in connection with the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and was executed in February 2013. His family is from the Sopore area of north Kashmir.
The demolition therefore attracted attention because of the family connection, although the stated basis for the administrative action was the alleged unauthorised construction and occupation of state land rather than Guru’s case.
No statement from the family or other occupants of the demolished structure was cited in the initial report.
The action leaves several procedural details unclear, including the duration of the alleged encroachment and whether any further proceedings concerning the land are planned.
For now, officials have described the demolition as action against an illegally constructed structure occupying government land in Sopore.
