Top Jammu and Kashmir politicians, including Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, on Monday mounted fierce opposition to the relentless bulldozer campaign to recover the alleged state land.

Politicians, including Omar and Sajad Lone, addressed the media separately in Srinagar, while Mehbooba talked to the media in Delhi — all asking the government to stop using bulldozers to demolish homes or recover land. Omar wondered why the bulldozers were used as the first resort while established procedures were disregarded.

Jammu and Kashmir is reeling under unprecedented crisis as lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha has launched the biggest ever anti-encroachment drive marked by relentless use of bulldozers.

Violent protests rocked Jammu city on Saturday during which scores of youths clashed with police. The police arrested five persons in connection with the violence.

Omar broke his silence over the issue on Monday and said the government should stop using bulldozers as a first step.

He said his party was not in favour of illegal occupation of state land by anybody but regretted the government was violating rules and was unleashing bulldozers as a first step.

“Bulldozers should be a measure of a last resort, not the first option. Nobody knows what is the truth and the procedure,” he said.

There are widespread complaints that the government is recovering land without issuing notices to the alleged encroachers, giving them no opportunity to be heard.

Omar made specific mention of two properties leased to two relatives — Nedou’s Hotel and his sister’s Gupkar home. He said his sister Safiya Abdullah approached the high court after she found her residence was on the list of properties to be demolished.

The National Conference leader said the government was “perturbed” in the court when they produced the valid lease papers. He said many other people also have papers but are not given an opportunity to produce them.

Several lists, meanwhile, allegedly showing hundreds of properties as encroachments in Srinagar city have gone viral over the past few days and added to the panic.

The Srinagar administration responded to the problem on Monday only after politicians raised an alarm, claiming the lists are “fake” and were being circulated on “social media by some fear-mongering elements”.

Srinagar deputy commissioner Aijaz Asad tweeted: “FIR being lodged to initiate action against miscreants attempting to spread panic among people.”

Omar said the government also told the court on Saturday that the lists were fake.

“Where is the genuine list? Does the chief secretary alone know it? Do you and I have no right to know whether we figure in any list or not?” he asked.

Mehbooba alleged the BJP-led central government has given 45,000 hectares to conmen while people of Kashmir are being driven out of their land on the pretext of an anti-encroachment drive.

“Jammu and Kashmir has become Palestine, where bulldozers are being used to demolish the houses of poor people, living there for ages,” she said.

Sajad Lone, seen as a secret ally of the BJP, asked what was the objective of the government in launching the drive.

“Do they want to retrieve land or humiliate people? I think humiliation is more important to them,” he said.