India transfers 6 acres of indigenous Kashmiri land to army in Baramulla

On 3rd July, the Jammu and Kashmir administration, the administration that oversees India’s occupation of Kashmir, transferred 6 acres of indigenous Kashmiri land in Baramulla district of occupied Kashmir to the Indian army. 

The land will be used to establish an army camp in the area.

The transfer has raised concerns among local residents who see it as part of a broader strategy to militarize the region further. This is not an isolated incident. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has been systematically transferring large tracts of land to security forces since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Local voices have expressed apprehension about the increasing presence of security forces in civilian areas, which they believe disrupts their daily lives and exacerbates the atmosphere of fear and control. 

The transfer of land to security forces also limits the land available for public use, contributing to the dispossession of local communities.

Although the Indian army already occupies over 54,000 acres of land, the Indian administration recently also lifted a requirement set in place in 1971 under which Indian security forces had to obtain a special certificate in order to acquire land in Kashmir. These lands are designated as “strategic” lands and then handed over to the army. According to Kashmiri scholars, the designation of “strategic areas” for the army is another way of opening the door to the construction of settlements.