Onlykashmir.in News Desk
A joint platform comprising the Tosamaidan Bachav Front, J and K RTI Movement, Civil Society for Justice and Development, Gujjar Bakarwal Youth Welfare Council, and the Forest Rights Coalition Jammu and Kashmir has strongly demanded immediate compensation and comprehensive rehabilitation for victims of the Tosamaidan Field Firing Range.
The organisations said that for decades, residents of Tosamaidan and adjoining areas suffered civilian deaths, permanent disabilities, loss of property, livestock, education, livelihoods, and severe ecological damage due to artillery firing, unexploded ordnance, and militarised land use. Pastoral and agrarian communities, whose lives are closely tied to land, forests, water sources, and biodiversity, continue to bear deep intergenerational trauma.
They stressed that the issue is a settled legal matter, noting that the Tosamaidan Bachav Front has filed two Public Interest Litigations before the Honorable High Court of Jammu and Kashmir. The court issued clear directions to the Government and District Administration to verify cases and release compensation and rehabilitation benefits. However, despite court orders, affidavits, and verified records, the victims have seen no substantive relief, which the platform described as administrative apathy and a violation of constitutional rights, including the right to life, dignity, equality, and a clean environment.
The joint platform expressed concern that while Tosamaidan is being promoted as a tourism destination, the suffering of widows, orphans, disabled survivors, and affected families remains unaddressed, and ecological damage to fragile mountain ecosystems has not been restored. They said compensation must include support for widows and orphans, compensation for permanent and partial disabilities, livelihood restoration, compensation for livestock and property loss, educational support for affected children, and ecological rehabilitation of forests, pasturelands, water bodies, and biodiversity.
Recalling past commitments, the statement noted that Omar Abdullah Sahab, during his earlier tenure as Chief Minister, played a key role in the closure of the Tosamaidan Field Firing Range. Dr Shaikh Ghulam Rasool, Founder of the Tosamaidan Bachav Front, said they appreciate this role and hope that justice will be delivered again, citing Omar Abdullah Sahab’s public interest legacy, including the Right to Information Act, the Public Services Guarantee Act 2012, and reforms linked to the Forest Rights Act.
The platform said completing compensation and rehabilitation is a moral, constitutional, political, and environmental responsibility. It also urged the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to extend similar measures to landmine victims along the Line of Control and civilians affected by cross border shelling, demanding immediate implementation of High Court directions, time bound rehabilitation packages, and transparent public disclosure of action taken and funds released.
