‘Dreams destroyed overnight’: Annual paddy harvest torched by unknown persons in Bandipora’s Shilvat

A wave of grief swept through Shilvat area of Sonawari in Bandipora after unknown persons allegedly set fire to heaps of harvested paddy during the intervening night.

The incident, which occurred around  11 PM, left dozens of farmers shattered when they woke up for Fajr prayers to find their crops torched.

Villagers told The Kashmiriyat the farmers had spent months nurturing their paddy fields and had only recently gathered the harvest into large piles for winnowing.

The fire destroyed most of it within minutes. The harvested paddy had been collected from nearly 18 kanals of land, representing the backbone of several families’ survival.

Five families were affected in total, including those of Bashir Ahmad Dar, Nisar Ahmad Dar, Ghulam Hassan Dar, and two others.

“We spent our days under the sun and our nights worrying about this crop. It was our only source of survival, and now everything is gone,” said a heartbroken farmer, his voice choked with emotion.

Adding to the heartbreak, Bashir Ahmad said, “My father passed away some weeks ago, there was mourning in the house and we were all busy with that, and today morning we received another extremely sad news.”

Former legislator Yasir Reshi expressed anguish over the incident, describing it as an attack on the very soul of farming families.

He said the flames did not just consume straw and grain, but the dreams, meals, and future security of entire households. Reshi urged the Deputy Commissioner of Bandipora to provide immediate compensation to the affected families and called on the police to swiftly bring the culprits to justice.

“This tragedy is not just about burnt fields; it is about livelihoods destroyed. These farmers are in tears today, and their cries must be heard,” he told The Kashmiriyat.

Police confirmed the incident, stating that a case has been registered and an investigation is underway to trace those responsible.