‘Are only Muslims’ homes illegal?’ Congress MP questions demolition of 86 houses in Uttarakhand

Congress MP Mohammad Jawed has questioned the demolition of 86 houses in a Muslim settlement in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, asking whether only Muslims’ homes were considered illegal across the country.

“Are only the homes of Muslims illegal across the entire country?” he asked.

“The question is, why isn’t the scale of action against encroachments on government land uniform for everyone? The law should be equal for all, not a means to target any one community,” he said.

Maktoob Media on Monday reported that the administration said the structures had been built on government forest land and were being demolished as part of an ongoing drive to clear encroachments.

The district administration and the Forest Department had initially planned to demolish 83 houses in the area. The operation was carried out under heavy security, with more than 1,200 police and forest personnel deployed alongside 28 JCB excavators.

Terai Western Forest Division Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Puneet Kumar Tomar said the department had issued notices to 92 people during the second phase of the operation. However, nine structures were excluded as their cases were pending before a court.

The Forest Department had conducted an earlier demolition drive in the same area on December 7, 2025, when 51 houses and huts were reportedly demolished. Around two acres of land belonging to Ramnagar Municipality’s trenching ground were also cleared during the operation.

The affected settlement is located along the Kosi River in Puchhadi, where approximately 14 hectares of forest land were reportedly cleared.

In a post on X following the demolition, Nainital Police said the operation had been carried out in accordance with the directions of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. It said a joint team of the administration and police had conducted an extensive operation in the Puchhadi area of Ramnagar to reclaim government land from encroachment and take “effective action on demographic changes”.

During Saturday’s operation, several residents reportedly began dismantling their houses themselves as the administration arrived with heavy machinery. Authorities divided the area into multiple security zones and sectors to maintain law and order.

Dhami had earlier praised his administration’s bulldozer action against what he described as religious encroachments, calling it “land jihad”. He had also promised the “strictest action” against those “polluting the holy land” of Uttarakhand.