Srinagar: With the family residences of at least nine suspected militants demolished in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah and other Kashmir-based leaders on Sunday (April 27) unanimously spoke out against the administration’s actions.

The spate of demolitions over the last three days, which took place despite the Supreme Court guidelines prohibiting such punitive action, has triggered a wave of anxiety and fear across the valley.

In a post on X, Abdullah called for “decisive action against terrorism and its origin” in the aftermath of the terror attack in Pahalgam while underlining that the people of Kashmir “came out freely and spontaneously” against terrorism and “the murder of innocent people”.

“It’s time to build on this support and avoid any misplaced action that alienates people. Punish the guilty, show them no mercy but don’t let innocent people become collateral damage,” Abdullah said, referring to the poignant images of people rendered homeless that have emerged in the aftermath of the demolitions.

Moderate Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is also the chief cleric of Kashmir, also called for bringing the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack to justice. He, however, said that the “indiscriminate arrests and videos circulating on social media of demolition of houses and neighbourhoods” was “disturbing and distressing”.

“I urge the authorities, that in seeking justice for the innocent victims, [don’t] punish innocent Kashmiri families,” Mirwaiz said.

People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti warned the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government to “tread with caution and carefully distinguish between terrorists and civilians”.

“It must not alienate innocent people, especially those opposing terror. There are reports of thousands being arrested and scores of houses of common Kashmiris being demolished along with those of militants. Appeal government to direct the authorities to take care that innocent people are not made to feel the brunt as alienation aids terrorists goals of division and fear,” the former chief minister said.

At least 175 suspects have been officially detained in connection with the deadliest attack on tourists in Kashmir’s history in which 26 men, mostly tourists, were killed while more than one dozen were injured.

The probe into the dastardly attack, which was initially investigated by J&K Police, was reportedly taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday.

The demolitions without issuing show-cause notices to the owners of the houses 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 Uttar Pradesh.’s Prayagraj. 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 they were demolished.

Meanwhile, an unverified list circulating on social media on Sunday suggested that authorities have identified 20 militants whose family houses could be demolished in coming days. The Wire couldn’t verify the authenticity of the list, which includes some militants who have crossed over to Pakistan on a valid visa in 2018.

Tensions are on the rise in Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack, with several dozen residences of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists and suspected overground workers of militants raided by J&K police over the last five days.

On Saturday night, the Pakistani Army allegedly initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the Line of Control in the areas of Tutmari Gali and Rampur sectors of Uri and Kupwara in north Kashmir.