Amid apprehensions of protests over the Lok Sabha clearing a Bill extending Scheduled Tribe status to several communities in Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Territory administration on Wednesday resorted to precautionary measures, including suspension of mobile Internet in the Pir Panjal region covering Rajouri and Poonch districts.

While the situation remained peaceful, a political row erupted over National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah being stopped from visiting the border Rajouri district.

The former chief minister claimed that the police initially locked him up inside his house in Jammu, and later, escorted him to his office in Sher-i-Kashmir Bhawan “like a criminal”, stopping him from going to Sunderbani town in Rajouri for a party function. “The Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) accompanied me… It is the first time the SDPO accompanied me from my house to the office to personally see to it that my vehicle does not take any other turn,” he said.

The NC said there was no official order on the basis of which the former CM was stopped.

While the police denied any curbs on Omar’s movement, on Wednesday, the Jammu district administration issued a general direction prohibiting individuals and social media news platforms from sharing any post / message that could disturb harmony or peace. Jammu District Magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya issued the order, referring to inputs regarding posting of social media posts which could lead to “serious breach of peace and order… might cause grave danger to human lives and properties”.

Sources in the UT administration said there was apprehension that “vested interests” may try to take advantage of misgivings among the Gujjars and Bakerwals over the extension of the ST status. Paharis, Padari Tribes, Koli and Gadda Brahmins in J&K are to be classified as STs as per the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024, passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The area is on high alert both due to the coming Lok Sabha elections as well as the ongoing anti-militancy operations in Rajouri and Poonch districts following a series of incidents.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah first promised the Paharis ST status at his first-ever public rally in Rajouri, in 2022, while assuring the Gujjars and Bakerwals that it would not impact the reservation available to them.

However, the Gujjars and Bakerwals remain wary particularly as, after the abrogation of Article 370 and delimitation, for the first time constituencies have been reserved for STs in J&K. Of the 9 ST-reserved Assembly seats, 6 fall in the Jammu province (5 of them in Rajouri and Poonch; 1 in Reasi), and 3 in Kashmir (1 each in Anantnag, Ganderbal and Bandipora districts). Plus, the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat now includes almost the entire Rajouri and Poonch districts.

With a population of nearly 18 lakh in J&K, the Gujjars and Bakerwals, who are predominantly Muslim, outnumber the other groups now under ST, whose combined strength is less than 2 lakh.

The Gujjars and Bakerwals, along with Shinas (Shin and Dard), Gaddi and Sippis, were qualified as STs in 1991. This entitles them to 10% quota in government jobs and admissions to educational institutions (including professional colleges).

The government’s assurance of a separate reservation quota for those now set to be included as STs, and the Gujjars and Bakerwals, has failed to soothe the latter as they believe this can be ensured only at the level of the UT, and not for national-level government jobs or seats in educational institutions.

The Gujjars and Bakerwals are opposed to essentially the inclusion of Paharis, a generic term used for people of Pir Panjal, saying they are a combination of different religions and communities and not “one ethnic group” – unlike the Padari tribes, Kolis and Gadda Brahmins, who also stand to become STs.

The Paharis, who make up a substantial 40% of the population in Pir Panjal, have been demanding ST status on the ground that they too face similar challenges due to the area’s tough geography and the absence of educational and health facilities.

The BJP has been trying to woo the Gujjars and Bakerwals since it came to power for the first time in J&K in coalition with the PDP after the 2014 Assembly polls. It hopes to retain that support, apart from getting the backing of Paharis now. Potentially, this can help it win Anantnag, thus planting the BJP flag in Kashmir region.

The BJP’s calculation is that while the move to increase the ST basket may alienate some Gujjars and Bakerwals, not all will turn away from the party as they don’t vote en bloc. In the wake of recent militant strikes in the Pir Panjal region, and consequent Army action leading to civilian deaths, the UT administration had acted quickly to stem public anger.

BJP national general secretary and J&K in-charge Tarun Chugh Wednesday said the grant of ST status to Paharis was a “watershed moment” for J&K, and criticised Opposition parties for “politicising the matter” for their vested interests.

On Omar not being allowed to visit Rajouri, J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina said he may have been stopped due to “security threats”, referring to the recent militancy incidents in Rajouri and Poonch.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also welcomed the Bill, and appealed to community elders to “discharge their responsibilities well and counter any misinformation” regarding level of reservation to communities. “I reiterate that the inclusion of new communities… will not impact the current level of reservations available to the existing Scheduled Tribe communities such as Gujjars and Bakarwals,” Sinha said.