 Mahim Gupta
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 11: The dark chapter of a demographic engineering conspiracy — one that has turned Jammu into a haven for illegal infiltrators — began unravelling piece by piece on Tuesday before the Navlekar Committee. On the second day of its visit, representatives of various social organizations briefed the panel, revealing how infiltrators had been systematically settled across Jammu division and in security-sensitive districts of Kashmir bordering Pakistan, with the collusion of elements within the system — and how they now pose a grave threat to national security.
The most alarming and cautionary picture emerged from Jammu division itself. Members of civil society detailed a sweeping transformation stretching from Jammu city all the way to Lakhanpur, informing the committee that more than 125 unauthorised religious structures had come up around Jammu city over the past decade. The committee was also briefed on the emergence of a “new Jammu city” taking shape in and around Bathindi, Siddhra and the Tawi belt, while Samba, Kathua, Poonch and Ramban were flagged as sensitive districts requiring close monitoring.
According to sources, the panel was told that the influx of Rohingya into Jammu began in 2009 — and their numbers have since swelled to between 30,000 and 35,000, all allegedly settled in the region as part of a deliberate conspiracy. Close behind are Bangladeshi infiltrators, now spread across all ten districts of Jammu division, with some having established a foothold even in districts hugging the Pakistan border.
Sources said Saeed Hussain (60) was identified as the first Rohingya to settle in Jammu’s Bathindi area, triggering a wave of further Rohingya arrivals who initially scattered across different pockets of t The panel was informed that political protection has accelerated the demographic shift at an alarming pace.
In Bathindi, once-lush forested hill slopes have been extensively encroached upon, with roads built on the illegally occupied hills, forests and government land to facilitate the settlement of infiltrators.
Stretches on either side of National Highway-44 — connecting Kunjwani to Nagrota have also emerged as highly sensitive zones in this regard.
The panel was informed that political protection has accelerated the demographic shift at an alarming pace. In Bathindi, once-lush forested hill slopes have been extensively encroached upon, with roads built on the illegally occupied hills, forests and government land to facilitate the settlement of infiltrators. Stretches on either side of National Highway-44 — connecting Kunjwani to Nagrota, running through Channi, Siddhra and up to Bajalta — have also emerged as highly sensitive zones in this regard.
Administrative sources named several additional localities where the demographic picture continues to deteriorate. The high-level committee, chaired by Justice (Retd.) Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar, has been constituted to study the unusual demographic shifts and Rohingya-Bangladeshi infiltration across Jammu and Kashmir, and has now embarked on a three-day fact-finding tour of the region.
Its brief spans cross-border movement, illegal settlements, identification of foreign nationals, verification of documents, and broader shifts in population patterns — with its findings to be submitted directly to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Rather than tracking infiltration alone, the committee is building a complete map of the network, having sought detailed inputs from security agencies on infiltration routes, identity documentation, settlement patterns and movement trails.
From Jammu, the committee will travel to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand — states that have also reported significant demographic shifts — where it will examine the sudden emergence of new settlements in border districts. |
