Indian authorities demolished the home of a Muslim man in Indian-administered Kashmir's Pulwama district, alleging that he was the one who carried out this week's car explosion near Delhi's Red Fort, the Times of India reported on Friday.
Such demolitions of homes and shops primarily targeting the country’s Muslim population have become a routine affair in India, where authorities use this as a form of collective punishment imposed on the families of the accused.
Police have not produced documentary evidence linking the accused to the attack in which a car blew up, killing at least 12 people. Police allege that Umar Un Nabi, a 35-year-old doctor from Pulwama, was driving the car. But his identification remains unconfirmed pending a full forensic report.
Delhi Police said on Thursday that preliminary DNA analysis indicates the bomber was Nabi, who worked in Haryana's Faridabad, the Hindustan Times reported.
Officials said the samples were taken from a severed leg found trapped between the car's accelerator and steering column. Police added that a forensic science laboratory verbally relayed the match, while the final written report is still awaited.
The absence of completed forensic documentation has prompted questions about whether the identification is conclusive. Indian authorities have previously been criticised by rights groups and legal experts for attributing attacks to suspects before judicial review.
The demolition came days after UN human rights experts warned of what they described as widespread abuse in Indian-administered Kashmir following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people.
In a 20-page communication sent to India's representative in Geneva on September 5, experts alleged mass arbitrary detentions, collective punishment and targeted demolitions disproportionately affecting the region's Muslim population.
According to the UN letter, Indian forces arrested approximately 2,800 people in the region after the Pahalgam incident.
Sweeping raids
Experts said many detainees were taken in night raids without warrants, held without charge, denied legal access, and in some cases subjected to ill-treatment or moved outside the region, restricting contact with families and lawyers.
They also reported at least nine home demolitions between April 24 and 27, citing a 2024 Indian Supreme Court ruling that found such punitive actions violate the right to life.
This week, Indian police intensified raids across the Himalayan region following Monday's Red Fort blast — the deadliest attack in the capital in more than a decade.
Police searched dozens of locations linked to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami party in districts including Awantipora, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Shopian and Sopore. Officers said they seized "incriminating material" and aimed to "dismantle the terror ecosystem" in the region. More than 30 sites were searched in Sopore alone.
Raids also occurred outside the region, including at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, while security forces demolished another house in Pulwama on Friday.
Authorities have not stated whether these operations are directly connected to the Delhi blast.
India's National Investigation Agency is leading the probe, and officials have said they intend to pursue the attackers, their collaborators and sponsors. Police have not clarified whether the incident involved a local cell or networks abroad.
India frequently accuses Pakistan of supporting groups involved in Kashmir's insurgency, a charge Islamabad denies. The Himalayan region, divided between the two neighbours since 1947, remains one of the world's most militarised zones.
___
Source: TRT