Srinagar, In a move that intensifies concerns over demographic changes in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Maharashtra state government has purchased a plot of land for the construction of ‘Maharashtra Bhawan’. This development is seen as an extension of the Modi administration’s settler colonial project, which has been systematically acquiring land and resources in the region.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the acquired plot spans 2.5 acres in the Ichgam area of Budgam district, with the Maharashtra Cabinet recently approving the transaction. The ‘Maharashtra Bhawan’ is slated for construction on this land, with a projected cost of 77 crores, under the sanction of the IIOJK administration.

The acquisition has sparked significant opposition from local residents and the District Bar Association of Budgam, who have voiced strong objections to the transfer of land to the Maharashtra government. The concern stems from the broader implications of such transactions, which are perceived as efforts to alter the demographic and cultural landscape of IIOJK.

This development follows a request in June 2023 by Eknath Shinde, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, to the occupation authorities for land to construct ‘Maharashtra Bhawan’ in IIOJK. Critics argue that the construction is part of a larger strategy, initiated by the Modi regime’s controversial decision on August 5, 2019, to revoke the special status of IIOJK. This strategy aims at facilitating the settlement of non-Kashmiri Hindus in the territory, thus impacting its demographic composition.