The Baramulla Land Seizure: Weaponizing Property as a Tool of Collective Punishment and Systematic Dispossession

The recent move in Baramulla where the authorities attached land belonging to Khurshid Ahmad Dar in Rafiabad is a major warning sign. On 26 and 27 March 2026 the police in Sopore took over 1 Kanal and 12.5 Marlas of land. They claim the owner is a proclaimed offender living in Pakistan administered Kashmir. While this is presented as a legal step against anti national activities the real impact is much deeper. In a conflict zone like this property is not just about a piece of ground. It is about the security of a family and their place in the community. When the state takes away land it sends a clear message that punishment is no longer just for one person. It is now aimed at the whole household.

Property as a weapon of the state

This action shows that the logic of security is now taking over every part of life. By targeting the economic roots of a family the state makes sure that the cost of any political dissent is too high. This is a move from individual arrest to a strategy of collective punishment. It is a very hard hitting approach that uses the basic needs of survival like home and land to force people into silence. This carries a weight far beyond the actual value of the land because it hits the heart of how people survive and belong to their land.

Linking the present to the post 2019 shift

We cannot look at the Baramulla case as a one time event. It is part of a bigger plan that started on 5 August 2019 when Article 370 was removed. That decision changed the entire landscape and was backed by a massive crackdown. Reuters reported in September 2019 that nearly 4,000 people were arrested during that time. Even though the Supreme Court upheld the move in December 2023 the methods used to keep control remain a huge concern. The Baramulla land seizure is just the latest step in a process that has been going on for years.

Changing laws to change the people

Since 2019 the government has used new laws to reshape the region. The Domicile Certificate Rules of 2020 and the Reorganisation Adaptation of State Laws Order 2020 changed who can own land. These new rules made it possible for non locals to get access to land that was previously protected. While the state calls this progress the local people see it as a way to take away their identity and their power. The law is being used as a tool to shift control from the locals to the administration.

A record of human rights violations

The fear in the region is based on real facts and data. International groups like the OHCHR documented serious issues in 2018 and 2019 including torture and arbitrary arrests. Amnesty International has also pointed out how harsh laws are used to crush any voice that speaks out. In September 2024 Amnesty again warned about the repression of dissent and the use of travel bans and detentions. The Baramulla land attachment fits perfectly into this history of using power to silence people.

From jail cells to demolition sites

The strategy has moved from putting people in jail to destroying their property and businesses. In early 2023 there were massive demolition drives in places like Srinagar and Anantnag. Many homes and shops were destroyed without proper notice or legal hearings. Amnesty International called for an end to these evictions because they create a feeling of total insecurity. When the state can take away a house or a shop at any time the basic sense of safety for a citizen is gone.

The power of economic pressure

Economic punishment is often more painful than being arrested. When the state seizes land it cuts off a family from their community and their way of living. This makes it impossible for people to resist or even speak up for their rights. People start to avoid any kind of political activity because they are afraid that their children or their homes will be the next target. This is not about justice but about making sure the population is too scared to do anything except obey.

The failure of democratic governance

A real democracy should not need to rule through fear and the seizure of private property. If the state wants to be seen as legitimate it should focus on trust and dialogue. You cannot build a lasting peace by taking away people’s land and livelihood. Every new attachment and every new demolition only makes the people feel more like they are being ruled by force. It shows that the administration is more interested in making people submit than in winning their hearts and minds.

A system built for discipline

The case in Baramulla proves that the region is being turned into a place where the law is used only to discipline and punish. The facts from the last few years show that the state is moving fast to take away the rights of the people. This is not the language of a government that wants reconciliation. It is the language of a state that treats its own people as enemies to be managed and controlled.

The land seizure in Baramulla is a dark sign for the future. It shows that no one is safe and that the state will use every tool it has to crush dissent. When property and civil life become weapons of war the hope for a fair society fades away. The international data and the human stories all point to a system that is more about control than about justice. Until this approach changes the gap between the people and those who rule them will only get wider.