Jammu and Kashmir health minister Sakina Itoo has suggested a communal design behind the "bulldozer justice" being handed out to alleged drug peddlers by lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha's administration, claiming the Valley was being disproportionately targeted despite Jammu reporting more cases.
The 100-day anti-drug campaign, Nasha Mukt Abhiyan, ends this week. Sinha has travelled extensively across the Union Territory to build momentum against drug use.
Between April 11 and May 5, the police arrested 518 alleged drug peddlers, registered 481 FIRs and attached or demolished 24 properties belonging to the accused and identified as "proceeds of crime", the administration revealed recently.
It did not provide separate figures for the Jammu and Kashmir regions.
Itoo, a key minister in the Omar Abdullah government who holds the health and education portfolios, said Hindu-majority Jammu had more drug addicts than Muslim-majority Kashmir. She did not cite any figures, either.
"You tell me, are there more addicts in Jammu or Kashmir? As health minister, I can tell you the figures say Jammu has more numbers. But you are destroying homes in Kashmir, attaching properties of people," she said.
"We fear that under the guise of the Nasha Mukt Abhiyan, the administration is demolishing houses and properties of people in Kashmir. Why isn’t there similar action in Jammu? The efforts and approach should not look discriminatory."
Itoo appeared to suggest that the police action was directed at not just drug peddlers but also addicts.
"If some kid is a drug addict, our effort should be to rehabilitate (them), do counselling so that he comes out of it," she said.
"Your effort should be to stop drugs, prevent them from coming to Jammu and Kashmir; but it is not right in my opinion that you will destroy properties of people, bulldoze them."
Itoo, however, added that both her government and the lieutenant governor were trying to eradicate drug use from Jammu and Kashmir.
"We have no issues if the LG is making efforts to end this menace, but we ask him to stop these demolitions," she said.
"Demolitions must stop and people must not be disturbed or have their properties destroyed. If someone is involved or accused, why should we demolish (their) parents' house or property?"
Itoo also asked why the security forces were unable to prevent the smuggling of drugs (from Pakistan) into Jammu and Kashmir.
She said the Omar government was bringing a bill before the Assembly to crush the menace.
Sinha's administration had not reacted to Itoo’s allegations by evening but at a news conference in Srinagar, BJP leaders asked Omar to remove her from the cabinet immediately.
The LG's administration should also "widen the scope of the investigation and examine the role and complicity of these regional political parties in the growing drug menace across Jammu and Kashmir", a BJP leader said.