Guri, Anantnag: At least nine residential houses of the families of suspected Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) members have been demolished in parts of Kashmir by authorities over the past three days in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Reports said on Sunday (27 April) that the residential houses of the families of nine suspected militants, some of whom are alleged to be involved in the Pahalgam attack, were demolished in Anantnag, Bandipora, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian districts of Kashmir.

Of these, seven houses were demolished on Thursday (April 24) and Friday (April 25), while two more were blown up on Saturday night.

Residential houses of the families of two militants from Bandipora and Pulwama which were blasted on Saturday night. Photo: Special arrangement

A residential house of one of the families of two militants from Bandipora and Pulwama which were blasted on Saturday night. Photo: Special arrangement

The suspects are believed to be members of the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar, Hizbul Mujahideen and their affiliates. 

The suspected Lashkar members have been identified as Ahsan Ul Haq Sheikh , Asif Ahmad Sheikh and Amir Nazir, all residents of Pulwama, Jameel Ahmed Shergojri of Bandipora district, Zakir Ahmad Ganie of Kulgam district, Shahid Ahmad Kutay and Adnan Shafi Dar, residents of Shopian district, Adil Thoker of Anantnag district and Farooq Ahmad Tadwa, a resident of Kupwara.

Sheikh and Thoker are alleged to be directly involved in the Pahalgam attack. According to reports, Kutay and Ganie joined militancy in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Some are believed to have crossed into Pakistan on valid passports in 2018 before joining militant outfits.

Authorities are believed to have used controlled explosions to blast the buildings which allegedly resulted in damage to some houses in their surroundings.

There was no official statement from either the civil administration in Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Army or J&K Police about the demolitions which took place days after 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were gunned down in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam in the worst attack on tourists in Kashmir’s history.

What the Supreme Court said on demolitions

The demolition of residential houses in Kashmir without issuing show-cause notices to their owners has brought into focus the recent observations of the Supreme Court which held that the right to shelter was a fundamental right as part of the basic structure of the constitution.

The court had also ordered monetary compensation to the affected appellants whose houses were demolished in Prayagraj of Uttar Pradesh. The court had observed how in these cases, show-cause notices were not served in person or by registered post, but only affixed on their properties before demolition.

“These cases shock our conscience. Residential premises of the appellants have been high-handedly demolished… There is something called the right to shelter, something called due process… The authorities, and especially the development authority, must remember that the right to shelter is also an integral part of Article 21 of the Constitution,” the court observed, adding that the authorities were bound by law to give affected parties a reasonable opportunity to show cause before demolition.

The destroyed house of Pahalgam terror attack accused Ahsan Ul Haq Sheikh after a blast, in Pulwama, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Photo: PTI

‘We have a share of only two rooms’

Speaking to The Wire, Yasmeena, sister of Aasif Sheikh, one of the five suspected Lashkar members involved in the Pahalgam carnage, said that she had visited her parents’ home in Monghama village of Tral on Thursday after learning that her father was detained by police on the day of the attack.

“When I reached, my mother and sisters had been taken away by police as well. During the night, I saw a man in camouflages who had come to perhaps plant a bomb. We have no idea about the attack (in Pahalgam). This house was built by our grandfather. We have a share of only two rooms in it, but they have destroyed it entirely,” she said.

Yasmeena added, “Even if my brother was involved in the Pahalgam attack, what has our family got to do with it? Why are our parents being punished for no fault of theirs?”

According to two families in south Kashmir whose houses were targeted by security forces, authorities did not serve them any show-cause notices before the demolitions were carried out.

‘Son had not yet received his share of house’

Shehzada Bano, mother of Adil Thoker, who is also accused of being involved in the Pahalgam carnage, told The Wire that security forces laid a cordon around their village on Thursday night. She said that her husband had already been detained by police along with her two sons on April 22.

“I was all alone at the house. A security man asked me to come out as they had to search the house. Within some minutes, the whole village was emptied of its residents who were ordered to find shelter for themselves as an explosion was going to take place,” Bano, a resident of Guri village in Anantnag district said.

Even though officials have maintained silence about the targeted demolitions, a media report quoting security forces said that explosives were “already kept inside the house (that) went off” when Thoker’s house was being searched on Thursday night.

Now living in her brother-in-law’s place, Bano said that the authorities did not serve any notice before demolishing their house, a part of which has been reduced into rubble. She said that the house was built by her father-in-law who passed away many years ago and that she had been displaced as a result of the government’s action. 

“My son had not received his share of the house. It is still registered in my husband’s name. If he (Adil Thoker) was involved in the attack, then the demolition is perhaps justified. But who will compensate us if he turns out to be innocent?” she asked.

Note: A previous version of the story had erroneously mentioned that the houses of Zahid Ahmed and Haris Ahmad, two suspected Lashkar militants and residents of Kulgam and Pulwama respectively, were targeted by authorities. The error is regretted.

This article was first published on Saturday (April 26) and has been updated with newer demolitions and other developments.