Bulldozer Democracy: When Home Becomes a Crime in J&K

In the early hours of May 2026, forty Gujjar-Bakerwal tribal families in Sidhra, Jammu, watched their homes being reduced to rubble by bulldozers in a joint Forest-Revenue-Police operation. With no prior notice, no hearing, and no rehabilitation plan, the demolition has triggered serious allegations of violations of the Forest Rights Act and SC/ST Atrocities Act, exposing the deep fault lines in J&K’s governance and raising uncomfortable questions about selective enforcement and tribal rights in India.