BJP leader demands SIT to look into 'fraudulent sale' of properties of migrants in Kashmir

Jammu: BJP leader G L Raina on Monday demanded the constitution of an empowered Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into cases of alleged grabbing of properties owned by displaced Kashmiri migrants in the valley over the last three decades.

He said that the issue has been raised by the community repeatedly at all available platforms, but there is little response from authorities to the demand of setting up an SIT.

"We demand an empowered SIT to look into the large scale cases of grabbing of immovable property of displaced community called Kashmiri migrants in official parlance," Raina, a spokesperson of the J-K unit of BJP, told reporters here.

The former legislator demanded a time-bound action plan to evict the encroachers and land grabbers and restore the property to lawful owners.

He said the"encroachment of immovable property belonging to the displaced community in Kashmir Valley is a serious matter".

Under the Jammu and Kashmir Migrant Immovable Property (preservation, protection and restraint on distress sales) Act 1997, the competent authority is authorised to prepare details of the immovable property of the displaced community and take appropriate action including “use such force as is necessary for taking possession of such property” to evict unauthorised occupants of such property, he added.

"Unfortunately, the situation on the ground is different and victims are forced to visit the court of law for redressal of grievances", he said.

He claimed that some members of the displaced community were forced to enter into a sale deed under distress. "Various reasons for distress sales include the fear of losing the entire property to the grabber," he said.

It is therefore important and humane to declare these distress sales as null and void, he added.

Even a parliamentary standing committee has recommended such an action, Raina claimed.