Srinagar: A Jammu-based journalist whose family home was demolished last month is planning to go on a hunger strike in protest against the police and civil administration who have not yet initiated any action against the officials involved in the “illegal” demolition drive.

Seeking police protection, Ghulam Qadir Daing, the father of journalist Arfaz Ahmad Daing, has also claimed that he was receiving “indirect threats” possibly “in retaliation, intimidation, or to silence my complaint” against the officials who were involved in the demolition drive.

In a complaint to J&K Police on December 10, Ghulam Qadir named the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) chairman Rupesh Kumar, tehsildar Megha Gupta and other unnamed civil and police officials as the members of the squad which levelled his single-storied house in Jammu’s Channi on November 27.

The demolition had triggered widespread outrage across Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a Hindu neighbour to give away a plot of land to the family in a gesture aimed at reflecting the Hindu-Muslim amity.

The elected government led by chief minister Omar Abdullah had blamed the lieutenant governor administration for ordering the demolition drive which has washed its hands from the issue.

Accusing the officials of “misuse of power, illegal assistance, and dereliction of duty,” Ghulam Qadir claimed that the demolition was carried out “without issuing any notice, without following any due process of law, and in a selective and arbitrary manner”.

The Supreme Court has held that demolition of homes was an illegal practice as it deprives a citizen of the fundamental right to life and shelter guaranteed by the Constitution along with other rights while legal experts have asserted that the government needs to compensate the victims of these demolition drives.

The letter by Ghulam Qadir urges the senior superintendent of police (Jammu) to file a first information report (FIR) against the officials “under the relevant provisions of law” for “criminal trespass, mischief causing damage, criminal intimidation, abuse of authority, and conspiracy”.

“Because of this illegal act, I and my family - including minor children - have been rendered homeless in harsh winter conditions, causing immense physical, financial and emotional suffering. I had earlier submitted to the SHO Police Station Trikuta Nagar but no FIR has been registered till date,” the letter added.

Ghulam Qadir’s son Arfaz, who works with News Sehar India, a digital news platform, had reported about the alleged links of some police officials with drug peddlers who were arrested last month in connection with a narcotics racket traced by Jammu police to Pakistan.

Within days of the report, a team of JDA officials accompanied by dozens of police and paramilitary forces and a fleet of earthmovers arrived at his house which was built by the family more than three decades ago after migrating from Doda district.

Since November 27, the family which includes Ghulam Qadir’s elderly parents, his wife and three minor children have been living in a tent pitched near the ruins of their home with the winter setting in across Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking with The Wire, Arfaz said that his three children resumed their school for the first time on Monday after losing all their belongings in the demolition drive last month.

“Some neighbours and well-wishers have been offering us to shift with them but it is not the question of my convenience. As a citizen of the country, I am only asking for my rights and justice. If I move from here and go somewhere else to live, it will embolden those who were behind the demolition,” he said.

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Arfaz mentioned that he was planning to go on a hunger strike from December 22, if the officials didn’t act on the complaint filed by his father.

“The LG administration controls police and higher bureaucracy but we still don’t know why our home was demolished and why so many security personnel had to be deployed for the demolition on that day. The JDA comes under the chief minister but not even one official has been held accountable so far,” he said.

Arfaz added: “We are natives of J&K. Whether the demolition was legal or illegal is a debatable issue but the least the government could have done was to provide us some shelter here which didn’t happen. The tent which has become our home since 27 November was provided by a kind neighbour.”

In response to a query by The Wire, the chief minister’s office said that the officer in charge of the JDA was an IAS officer who can’t be removed or transferred out by the elected government.

Under J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, the IAS officers in J&K are not accountable to the elected government as the lieutenant governor’s office has exclusive powers over them.

Fearing for their safety, Ghulam Qadir wrote to the SSP Jammu on December 9 underlining that his family has been living in “fear and insecurity” as “unknown persons” have been roaming near their temporary shelter after his home was demolished.

Also read: Jammu: Authorities Demolish Family Home of Journalist Who Linked Police Officer to Drug Smugglers

“I have strong reasons to believe that the same criminals who are behind this illegal demolition may attempt to harm him (Arfaz) as well, in retaliation for his journalism work. Their suspicious movements and behaviour for the last few days indicate a potential danger to me and my family. I strongly apprehend that some persons may try to harm me or my family members,” the letter noted.

Ghulam Qadir has urged the SSP Jammu to provide “immediate security protection” to him and his family, and issue “necessary directions” to the concerned police station for “regular patrolling and for ensuring our safety”.

“Any person found threatening or stalking us may be identified and appropriate action taken. I am ready to provide any further information required,” the letter stated.

Despite repeated attempts, SSP Jammu Joginder Singh could not be reached for comment.

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