Workers of the Democratic Azad Party (DAP) here on Saturday protested against the "land eviction" drive by the administration in Jammu and Kashmir.
The protesters gathered in large numbers and were seen raising slogans criticizing the steps taken by the government.
Nearly 23,000 hectares of state and 'kacharai' land were retrieved during the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in different districts of the Jammu division recently.
The protest comes after DAP chief Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday called upon Union Home Minister Amit Shah to apprise him of "land eviction issues" in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement, DAP said Ghulam Nabi Azad met Amit Shah to apprise him of "serious unrest and uncertainty prevailing" among the public due to the "circular of eviction issued by the UT administration directing all Deputy Commissioners to remove the encroachments on state land, including Roshni and Kacharai."
Taking to Twitter, Azad said he met Amit Shah on Wednesday regarding the land eviction issues in Jammu and Kashmir. "Met union Home minister Amit Shah Ji regarding land eviction issues in J&K. Apprised him about the prevailing unrest & uncertainty among the common people who are forced to vacate the properties which are otherwise recognized by successive regimes. Amit Shah Ji assured me no small landholders who constructed houses will be touched!" said Azad, in a series of tweets.
The DAP chairman said that he informed the Home Minister that the majority of the occupants who are holding small lands and have constructed houses over the past few decades are migrants and are mostly victims of militancy, "as well as victims of abnormal situations arising from time to time, being a border state."
The DAP statement further stated that Azad had taken up the same issue with LG Manoj Sinha, who also assured him to do the needful with a cogent land policy for small landholders.
( With inputs from ANI )
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