In a powerful display of Hindu-Muslim solidarity, neighbour Kuldeep Sharma donates land to journalist Arfaz Daing after authorities demolished his 40-year-old home, sparking outrage over alleged press retaliation.
On 27 November 2025, the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) demolished the 40-year-old home of journalist Arfaz Ahmad Daing in Jammu’s Narwal-Channi area.
JDA claimed illegal construction on state land, deploying four bulldozers and 700-800 security personnel without prior notice, displacing his elderly parents, wife, and three children. Daing alleges retaliation for his reports linking a deputy superintendent of police to a 3.26 kg heroin bust, while JDA denies targeting.
On 28 November, Hindu neighbour Kuldeep Sharma donated a 5-marla plot in an emotional handover, pledging reconstruction amid political backlash from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah accusing selective demolitions.
Bulldozers Roll in Dawn Raid
The demolition began at 9:30 am on 27 November, with JDA teams arriving under heavy police and paramilitary cover in Jammu’s Narwal-Channi locality, razing Daing’s single-storey house-built by his father Ghulam Qadir four decades ago after fleeing militancy in Doda district-to rubble in under two hours.
Daing, who runs the digital platform News Sehar India, was roughed up, detained alongside his brothers, and barred from filming, pleading, “If you have to destroy it, do it, but allow me to do my job as a journalist.”
Eyewitnesses noted the site was sealed, preventing other reporters from approaching, while locals questioned the selective action as larger encroachments nearby remained untouched.
Retaliation Over Drug Reports?
Daing’s troubles trace to his 14 November coverage of a major cross-border heroin seizure, where he implicated a transferred deputy superintendent of police (DSP) from Jammu East with a local family allegedly involved in smuggling, prompting the officer’s reassignment.
A senior police source dismissed vendetta claims, stating an investigation into officer tensions is underway, and noted Daing faces four FIRs since 2015, including a past house search linked to terrorism-though unverified independently.
The notice was issued in Daing’s name despite his father’s registered ownership, bypassing court processes, as advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed condemned it as an assault on press freedom.
Neighbour’s Emotional Lifeline
In a heartfelt response on 28 November, Kuldeep Sharma, a Hindu resident from the nearby Jewel area and Daing’s platform follower, gifted a registered 5-marla plot through his daughter Tania during a public ceremony filled with tears and embraces.
“I will build a house for you even if I have to beg for funds. Our brotherhood will always exist-today people divide us as Hindu versus Muslim, but this is wrong,” Sharma vowed, criticising winter homelessness for children.
Ghulam Qadir hugged Sharma tightly, revealing thousands of aid offers, while Tania called the gesture a testament to enduring humanity, sparking widespread applause.
Political Storm Brews
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah slammed Raj Bhawan-appointed officers for “selective demolitions targeting Muslims” in a conspiracy to tarnish his government, demanding accountability amid Jammu’s ongoing anti-encroachment drive.
BJP and PDP leaders traded accusations, with civil society figures like journalist Zafar Choudhary decrying “bulldozer justice” and journalists protesting the lack of due process.
Locals expressed fury, with one Reddit thread highlighting the family’s 40-year residency, questioning why only Daing’s modest home faced the bulldozers when influential structures persist.
Prior Property Woes Surface
This marks Daing’s second brush with JDA; three to four months earlier, another house he bought in Bhatindi from a real estate family met the same fate for similar encroachment claims, leaving him financially strained.
Sources indicate the Wednesday night demolition order arrived at 10 pm, mobilising excavators swiftly, rendering the family-including vulnerable elderly and young children-without shelter as winter sets in.
Daing admitted the land belonged to JDA but stressed long-term occupancy and labour invested, echoing his live query: “Is my house the only illegal one?”
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Kuldeep Sharma’s profound generosity stands as a radiant symbol of interfaith solidarity, empathy, and coexistence, piercing through Jammu’s tensions to reaffirm India’s pluralistic spirit with tangible compassion.
The Logical Indian applauds this unity while urging authorities to enforce transparent due process, safeguard journalistic integrity, and prioritise rehabilitation to prevent such hardships, fostering lasting harmony and justice.
