Srinagar: A senior Jammu-based journalist has accused the Jammu & Kashmir Police of not taking action on a complaint she filed against the brother of a former MLC who allegedly barged into and vandalised her government-allotted accommodation last week.
Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal, the editor-in-chief of the daily Kashmir Times, says Imran Ganai, the brother of former MLC Shehnaz Ganai, trespassed into her Jammu residence, which has been allotted to her as part of the government housing quota for journalists.
She has also accused him of stealing her property in connivance with officials of the Estates Department and local police (in civvies), and assaulting her and her husband.
Jamwal first made the matter public in a Facebook post on 4 October, which included pictures of the individuals who visited the flat, including Imran Ganai.
“Few cops in civvies were assisting them in the loot and they were present in every room and tried hiding their faces when I was clicking their photos. They finally ran away when SHO Pir Mitha Police station came to the area after we called him up,” she wrote. “But even the latter was hesitant to lodge our complaint and kept taking the side of the trespassers, wrongly claiming that they are the authorised allottees of the house… We were shoved and pushed and had to fight back in self-defence,” the senior journalist wrote.
Speaking to ThePrint, she claims she had been hearing rumours that the allotment of the house, located at Jammu’s Wazarat road, would be changed. However, she added that queries in this regard hadn’t elicited any answer from the Estates Department.
Jamwal said she has filed an official complaint with police, but an FIR in the matter is yet to be registered.
On their part, police admitted that they were at Jamwal’s property on the given day. “We were simply told to provide security by the Estates Department. We were informed that they had to conduct an eviction so we provided the security,” Nayat Ali, the station house officer at Pir Mitha, said. “The order was executed by the magistrate.”
When asked why an FIR hasn’t been registered, he said, “We are making an inquiry at the moment.”
Shehnaz Ganai, a former member of the National Conference (NC) who quit the party last year, did not respond to calls or messages from ThePrint.
Mohammad Elyas, Deputy Director of the J&K Estates Department, told ThePrint that a notice of eviction had been served on Jamwal, adding that she had even responded to it.
“The said flat has been allotted to someone else on 31 July. We have followed all rules and regulations to complete the process,” he added. However, Jamwal denied the claim. “No, we have not received any notice,” she said.
Also Read: FIR against website for accusing Kashmir journalists & activists of being on ‘Indian payroll’
‘Shouldn’t due process be followed?’
According to Jamwal, she was allotted the flat in 2000 under the journalist category.
“It it the government’s right to cancel the allotment but shouldn’t due process be followed? We had been hearing rumours that the allotment of the flat will be canceled. We had also heard similar rumours with respect to the government accommodation in which Kashmir Times office is located in Srinagar’s press enclave. which houses other newspaper offices,” she said.
“But when we tried to approach the Estates Department, they simply did not answer our queries… If at all the allotment now stands canceled, we need to be informed so we can make the necessary preparations,” she added.
She said her family hasn’t been living in the flat since the lockdown began and has been staying in her father’s house. “We go there to clean up the flat once in a while. That day, too, my husband, the help and I went to the flat to find the lock broken… They (the alleged trespassers) tried to strangulate my husband and attacked us. Jewellery, silverware and other valuables in the house were missing,” she added.
She said she has moved court seeking answers from the Estates Department on whether an eviction order has been issued, and what grounds have been cited.
At the moment, the senior journalist said, two persons “sent by the Ganai family” are lodged at the flat while one from her side has also been allowed to stay on the premises till the matter is resolved. “What we need right now is an FIR and some clarity from the Estates Department,” said Jamwal.
This report has been updated to clarify that Jamwal has been living in her father’s house. The report earlier stated she lived with her father, but he is deceased.
Also Read: I’m speechless, says J&K journalist Masrat Zahra after being booked for ‘anti-national’ posts