Afzal Guru relatives' structures demolished in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla

What happened in Baramulla?

On Tuesday, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district demolished several unauthorised structures, including sheds linked to the family of the executed Parliament attack convict, Mohammad Afzal Guru. The demolition took place in the Sopore area, where officials cleared structures built on a flood basin.

The operation was led by a team from the local Revenue Department, backed by a large contingent of security forces to prevent any disruption. Among the structures pulled down was a dairy farm shed setup by Guru’s widow, Tabasum Guroo, near her home close to Gulnar Park.

Who is affected and what do they say?

According to local officials, the action was directed against unauthorised occupations by Tabasum Guroo and other relatives, including Sajad Ahmad Buhroo, Tariq Ahmad Buhroo, and Manzoor Ahmad Buhroo. The Baramulla administration described the retrieved site as prime state land worth crores of rupees.

Officials claimed they had served formal eviction notices to the families beforehand, but the occupants refused to clear the site voluntarily.

The family, however, has strongly disputed this. Speaking after the demolition, an elder from the family denied that they had received any warning or formal notice from the government. They argued that the land was ancestral property and that the administration had bypassed proper legal procedures.

They also questioned the motive behind the demolition, pointing out that other properties in the area have not been touched. "If our land was an encroachment, then there would be hundreds of kanals of state land encroached in our locality," the elder said, questioning whether the authorities would show the same urgency in clearing those sites.

The wider context

Local authorities have framed the demolition as part of an ongoing, wider campaign to reclaim government land and enforce land-use norms. They emphasised that building on a flood basin is a clear violation of safety and environmental regulations.

Afzal Guru was executed in February 2013 for his involvement in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. Since his execution, his family has lived in Baramulla, where his wife established the dairy business.