J&K Govt told to withdraw 'tribal directive': Ram Madhav

The Jammu and Kashmir government has been told to withdraw its directive on encroachments by nomads in forest land, senior BJP leader Ram Madhav said today.

The issue has been raked by the Bar Association of Jammu and Kashmir High Court as threat to the demography of Jammu.

Earlier this year, the state government had directed the police and district administrations to not provide "police protection" for anti-encroachment drives being carried out by government departments against tribal population without prior approval of the tribal affairs department.

The chief minister also directed that till a formal tribal policy is formulated and issued, tribal population shall not be disturbed, dislocated.

"The directive (of Tribal Affairs department) issued and circulated to different districts must be withdrawn. This we have told the government already," Madhav told reporters here.

Madhav, who is the party's general secretary in-charge of the state, was replying to a question about the alleged demographic changes in Jammu due to the settlement of the Rohingyas and tribals on encroached state lands in Jammu city.

"There has been very clear and consistent stand of the BJP on these two issues (deportation of Rohingyas and massive encroachments and settlement on state lands by tribal people)," Madhav said.

The BJP leader said that as far Rohingyas were concerned, Union Home Ministry was seized of the matter and effective steps would be taken "very soon".

"On those issues, the party (BJP) stand has been consistent", he said.

The Jammu Development Authority (JDA) and revenue and forest departments are undertaking anti-encroachment drives in large chunk of lands for the past six months. The state government earlier said in the Assembly that 1,510 acres of land had been encroached in the city.

The BAJ has said that the directive was not only giving immunity to encroacher tribals in Jammu but would also encourage more encroachments of Jammu lands.