Archive · 16 Sep 2026
Rohingya Families Dismantle Jammu Settlements After Eviction Notices
Authorities in Jammu told plot owners to remove huts and shops used by Rohingya families.
The families then began taking apart their homes and gathering their belongings.
Residents said they had only three days to leave.
They said they are poor workers and do not know where they will go.
Some families said they had lived in the settlement for many years.
They also said water and electricity were not reliably available.
The residents said many had come from Myanmar after violence and carried United Nations refugee cards.
The eviction followed a central committee’s visit to study demographic changes and illegal immigration.
Rohingya families began dismantling huts, shops and belongings in Jammu’s Karyani Talab area after an eviction drive started Tuesday.
Residents said plot owners were given notices requiring them to vacate within three days.
More than 500 families living in roughly 80 to 90 makeshift huts were reportedly affected.
Residents said some families had lived there for 15 to 16 years and had limited access to water and electricity.
Government data presented to a central committee identified 7,656 Rohingyas across Jammu and Kashmir, including 6,737 in the Jammu region.
- Who
- Rohingya families living in the Karyani Talab settlement, plot owners, and local authorities.
- What
- Authorities required plot owners to remove residential huts and shops used by Rohingya families, prompting residents to dismantle the structures.
- When
- The eviction drive began Tuesday, and residents were seen dismantling structures on Wednesday; the report is dated September 16.
- Where
- Karyani Talab in Narwal, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir.
- Why
- Authorities served notices questioning how foreigners had been settled on private plots and directing owners to remove the slums and shops; the action followed a central committee’s examination of demographic changes and illegal immigration.
Residents’ Account
Authorities’ Position
Eviction consequences
Residents’ Account
Residents said they are poor daily-wage workers, have limited resources, and do not know where they will go after being ordered to leave.
Authorities’ Position
Authorities directed plot owners to remove the residential and commercial structures from their plots and issued notices requiring vacation.
Status of residents
Residents’ Account
Residents said they had United Nations refugee cards and came to India after conditions deteriorated in Myanmar.
Authorities’ Position
The notices questioned how foreigners had been settled on private plots, while the committee was examining demographic changes and illegal immigration.
Living conditions and tenure
Residents’ Account
Residents said some families had lived in the settlement for 15 to 16 years despite irregular water and electricity supplies.
Authorities’ Position
Authorities’ notices treated the huts and shops as structures to be removed from the rented plots; the articles do not state a separate official assessment of the residents’ tenure or living conditions.
- Affected settlement
- Karyani Talab area of Narwal, Jammu
- Reported families affected
- More than 500 families
- Reported structures
- Approximately 80 to 90 makeshift huts
- Vacate period
- Three days, according to residents
- Earlier removals
- Around 30 to 40 shops were reportedly removed first
- Identified Rohingyas
- 7,656 across Jammu and Kashmir
- Regional distribution
- 6,737 in Jammu region and 919 in the Kashmir Valley
- Committee visit
- A central high-level committee visited Jammu from August 10 to 12