Avinash Azad
In a damage control exercise following a sensational expose made on the floor of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly on March 22, 2025, by BJP MLA Yudhvir Sethi—who accused Mohd Hussain, a former National Conference (NC) MLC-turned-BJP member, of illegally grabbing thousands of kanals of land in violation of J&K’s land laws and running a criminal-political network with anti-national undertones—the latter has reportedly gifted prime land to certain officers and politicians in an attempt to evade legal action.
It is alleged that the gifted land is located at Bajalta Bain (Sidhra), including a prime six-kanal plot reportedly granted to MLA Yudhvir Sethi, who had raised the issue in the Assembly. In the same area, a separate three-kanal plot has allegedly been allotted to a senior officer, where an incomplete duplex house and a ployhouse currently stand.
The allegations, made during the ongoing Budget Session 2025-26, have sent political tremors across the region. According to Sethi’s statement, Hussain, who was a teacher before joining politics, allegedly owns thousands of Kanal of land.
However, when contacted, MLA Yudhvir Sethi confirmed that he owns land in the area but clarified that it has no connection to the family in question. “I do have a plot there, but I purchased it a long time ago from another party,” he said. He further added that after he raised the issue in the Assembly, a team from the Revenue Department visited the site, and an investigation is currently underway.
Earlier, in 1998 Mohd Iqbal son of Mohd Hussain acquired 320 kanals of land through power of attorney from four individuals including Rajinder Wazir, Raman Wazir, Rajni Jamwal and Chand Ram and expanded his ‘land grabbing empire’ to cover Banjar Kadim, Gair Mumkin Khad, Abbal Dom, Kahcharai, State land, JDA-owned land, Forest land, and more—much of it in clear violation of the land ceiling limits prescribed under repealed and existing land laws.
“Despite the land laws repealed post-August 2019, the criminal accumulation of land by this ex-MLC goes against every principle of legality and governance,” said a source, The Big Landed Estates Abolition Act had capped individual landholding at 182 kanals, later reduced to 100 standard kanals under the Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976. But legal experts say Hussain’s family manipulated and overran these laws using their political influence, bureaucratic links, and criminal muscle. The father-son duo has turned into an uncontrollable land mafia in the region, operating with such impunity that no authority seems capable of stopping them from encroaching upon both private and government land. Another member of their extended family, a forest department employee, reportedly owns around 500 kanals of land, palatial houses and a fleet of luxury SUVs, Cars, Bikes. Instead of attending to his official duties, this employee is frequently seen sitting in revenue offices, apparently facilitating their land-related activities.
After coming under surveillance by central agencies, Hussain attempted a political cover by joining BJP on February 3, 2024. However, sources confirmed that the party later suspended his membership, citing his “tainted background” and growing backlash within the ranks.
One of the most serious developments linked to the family is the involvement of Hussain’s son, Mohd Iqbal, “who was summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a case concerning JeI-linked properties allegedly used for terror financing. Iqbal had purchased 10 kanals of land belonging to Noor Masjid/Islamic Model School Noor Mohalla Bajalta, which was raided by the NIA. The summons, served via Police Post Sidhra, required Iqbal to appear before NIA Headquarters in New Delhi on November 30, 2021,” The News Now reported.
According to FIRs registered at Nagrota Police Station—namely FIR No. 375/22 and 364/23—as well as other criminal cases, the family’s track record includes serious charges such as attempt to murder and trespassing. Additionally, FIR No. 447/18 has been registered at Police Station Pacca Danga, Jammu City, on the complaint of the DFO Jammu, under sections 447, 447A, and others. Locals have long alleged that the family operates illegal stone-crushing units on encroached land, reportedly with the backing of their deep-rooted political connections.
Following the exposure in the Assembly, sources revealed that the family gifted prime land parcels to select politicians and police officers in a desperate bid to buy silence. Construction is reportedly underway on some of these plots, raising serious questions about official complicity and the failure of enforcement mechanisms.
“This is not just a case of illegal landholding; it’s a case of systematic subversion of land laws, political manipulation, criminal intimidation, and suspected terror links,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity. The revelations, now part of the Assembly record, are expected to trigger investigations at multiple levels, with calls growing louder for accountability from both past and present political formations that enabled such unchecked criminal enterprise.
Our team is currently working on Part-II of this scam investigation. If any individual wishes to contribute to this cause, they may directly contact us at 📞 9419132418.
