Quest for justice leads nowhere

Not a penny paid even after CM's assurance Mudasir Majeed Pir In January 2002, after a three-day operation by the Indian Army, 25 families in Fakirpora-Drugmulla, Kupwara, had to seek alternative housing. The families were hastily told to vacate their homes due to security reasons, and three days later they found their land inaccessible due to army presence. To this day, compensation has only been sought, not granted. The land that is still under Army belongs to the villagers of Fakirpora, Chanpora, Gund and Matipora. “The army not only took our land (some 62 kanals), but also snatched our only source of livelihood for a helipad and a transit camp for convoys,” says a local. The residents have not just lost around 62 kanals (eight acres) of land, but also their only source of livelihood. It was January 2002 when forces from Fakirpora cantonment approached the villagers and told them why they wanted the land. The villagers agreed to negotiate, and set a reasonable price. Ten days later, the villagers say, the army cordoned off the area and announced that anyone seen stepping out of their homes would be shot at. People didn’t dare venture out for three days and nights, they recalled. Mohammed Subhan Lone, a villager who has lost about an acre and a half of his land to the army, recalled, “When we emerged from our homes, the army had fenced the land, leveled it and occupied. We couldn’t even recognize our plots. When we protested, we were beaten up by the police. Even our women were not spared.” The locals used to cultivate paddy before the army forced themselves upon their land. They lost their only source of livelihood. The police stayed stoic and refused to file a report, the villagers said. Even the district administration chose to ignore their pleas. Lone added, “All this was done under the watchful eye of the then deputy commissioner of Kupwara. Even now, our demands are being ignored.” Back then, Lone and 24 others went to the chief minister’s office to complain. Despite his assurances regarding compensation, nothing happened. Now, the villagers are demanding compensation as per the present market rates along with a rent that spans over seven years. Initially, in 2002, it was decided that the cost for leasing the land would be Rs 200 per kanal, annually. Currently, the amount has shot up to Rs 3,200. No justice in sight Kashmir Dispatch asked MLA (Kupwara) Mir Saifullha why he wasn’t raising questions about this case in the Legislative Assembly. Saifullha replied, “I have tried to address this problem but there has been no action from the government. It’s about time the government does something for them.” Last July, a group of victims, headed by M. Subhan Lone visited CM Omer Abdullah’s residence to ask for compensation. Again, they were given assurances that their demands would be met soon. Again, they were let down. Eight months have passed since that meeting but compensation is nowhere in sight. “One day, the officials tell us our documents have been received by the Central government and a decision will be taken soon. The next time, we are told that our documents have gone missing,” lamented Lone. The villagers then filed a law suit in the High Court, asking for a stay on the construction activities. Soon, they ran out of funds and had to let go of their only shot at justice. As per the current rates, the land in question costs about Rs 10 lakh per kanal. “The government is trying to purchase the land at the price of Rs one or two lakhs per kanal as per our inside information. We are not going to accept it at any cost.” The Army PRO (Kupwara) is currently on leave and was unable to comment. But Army PRO (Srinagar) Colonel Brar, when asked about this case, said he had no knowledge of it. When Kashmir Dispatch spoke to Deputy Commissioner (Kupwara) Showket Ahmad Mir, he said that he had no information about this matter and passed the buck on to assistant collector (land). Quest for justice leads nowhere Not a penny paid even after CM's assurance Mudasir Majeed Pir In January 2002, after a three-day operation by the Indian Army, 25 families in Fakirpora-Drugmulla, Kupwara, had to seek alternative housing. The families were hastily told to vacate their homes due to security reasons, and three days later they found their land inaccessible due to army presence. To this day, compensation has only been sought, not granted. The land that is still under Army belongs to the villagers of Fakirpora, Chanpora, Gund and Matipora. “The army not only took our land (some 62 kanals), but also snatched our only source of livelihood for a helipad and a transit camp for convoys,” says a local. The residents have not just lost around 62 kanals (eight acres) of land, but also their only source of livelihood. It was January 2002 when forces from Fakirpora cantonment approached the villagers and told them why they wanted the land. The villagers agreed to negotiate, and set a reasonable price. Ten days later, the villagers say, the army cordoned off the area and announced that anyone seen stepping out of their homes would be shot at. People didn’t dare venture out for three days and nights, they recalled. Mohammed Subhan Lone, a villager who has lost about an acre and a half of his land to the army, recalled, “When we emerged from our homes, the army had fenced the land, leveled it and occupied. We couldn’t even recognize our plots. When we protested, we were beaten up by the police. Even our women were not spared.” The locals used to cultivate paddy before the army forced themselves upon their land. They lost their only source of livelihood. The police stayed stoic and refused to file a report, the villagers said. Even the district administration chose to ignore their pleas. Lone added, “All this was done under the watchful eye of the then deputy commissioner of Kupwara. Even now, our demands are being ignored.” Back then, Lone and 24 others went to the chief minister’s office to complain. Despite his assurances regarding compensation, nothing happened. Now, the villagers are demanding compensation as per the present market rates along with a rent that spans over seven years. Initially, in 2002, it was decided that the cost for leasing the land would be Rs 200 per kanal, annually. Currently, the amount has shot up to Rs 3,200. No justice in sight Kashmir Dispatch asked MLA (Kupwara) Mir Saifullha why he wasn’t raising questions about this case in the Legislative Assembly. Saifullha replied, “I have tried to address this problem but there has been no action from the government. It’s about time the government does something for them.” Last July, a group of victims, headed by M. Subhan Lone visited CM Omer Abdullah’s residence to ask for compensation. Again, they were given assurances that their demands would be met soon. Again, they were let down. Eight months have passed since that meeting but compensation is nowhere in sight. “One day, the officials tell us our documents have been received by the Central government and a decision will be taken soon. The next time, we are told that our documents have gone missing,” lamented Lone. The villagers then filed a law suit in the High Court, asking for a stay on the construction activities. Soon, they ran out of funds and had to let go of their only shot at justice. As per the current rates, the land in question costs about Rs 10 lakh per kanal. “The government is trying to purchase the land at the price of Rs one or two lakhs per kanal as per our inside information. We are not going to accept it at any cost.” The Army PRO (Kupwara) is currently on leave and was unable to comment. But Army PRO (Srinagar) Colonel Brar, when asked about this case, said he had no knowledge of it. When Kashmir Dispatch spoke to Deputy Commissioner (Kupwara) Showket Ahmad Mir, he said that he had no information about this matter and passed the buck on to assistant collector (land).