India demolishes home of Red Fort blast accused in overnight Pulwama operation

Security forces on Thursday night demolished the family home of Dr. Umar Nabi Bhat, the man accused in the November 10 car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 13 people. The operation took place in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups and legal experts.

Officials said the action was part of an intensified crackdown on terror networks after investigators linked the Red Fort blast to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad’s recruitment of highly educated professionals for planned urban attacks. Bhat, a medical doctor, is alleged to have been part of the module responsible for the explosion.

The demolition adds to a growing list of such punitive measures in Jammu and Kashmir, where over 150 homes of alleged militants and over-ground workers have been destroyed since 2019, following the Modi government’s tougher counter-terror policies post-Article 370.

However, the move has sparked controversy. Critics argue that the demolition violates Supreme Court guidelines, which require proper due process and prohibit authorities from destroying civilian property without court orders or an independent inquiry. Local residents said the overnight action has left Bhat’s elderly parents, children and other relatives homeless in peak winter, renewing the debate around collective punishment in conflict-affected regions.

While security agencies maintain that such measures are necessary to dismantle terror infrastructure, civil rights advocates warn that bypassing legal safeguards risks eroding constitutional protections and setting a dangerous precedent.