CRPF trying to capture land in South Kashmir

Locals from South Kashmir Monday accused Para-military troopers of forcibly trying to occupy land that they use for grazing animals.

Locals from Bran village of Shangus Tehsil of Southern Anantnag district assembled here in Press Enclave Srinagar and staged a protest against what they said ‘land grabbing’.

The protesters said that without any consultation and taking locals into confidence, CRPF has initiated a process to occupy land comprising of 100 kanals. “It will prove disastrous for us. We graze our cattle in these fields for centuries and today they are forcibly taking this land from us,” one of the protesters told news agency Kashmir News Trust.

The protesters said that for the past few days, CRPF troopers are visiting the said land and are demarcating it. “We raised the issue before Deputy Commissioner Anantnag but of no avail.

Today we met Divisional Commissioner Kashmir who assured us of action that will be in the interest of people,” they said.

They said this land has walnut and other trees. “It is a grazing land and if it will be occupied by Para-military troopers, our cattle will die,” they said and sought the intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.