Contractor alleges intimidation, extortion and threats by BJP Pulwama district chief; police files FIR

FIR says BJP functionary obstructed government-approved work, demanded money and issued PSA threats

Pulwama: Jammu and Kashmir police have booked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Pulwama District President Er Syed Showkat Gayoor Andrabi after a civilian contractor lodged a complaint accusing him of running a continuous “extortion” scheme, physically obstructing authorised works, and threatening workers with detention under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).

According to First Information Report registered at Police Station Pulwama under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the criminal case was lodged following a written complaint submitted under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) by Mohammad Yaseen Ganie, a resident of Budgam.

Ganie, according to the FIR copy, was executing authorised extraction and transportation of soil for developmental works connected to Gurudwara Parbandhak, Barthana, backed by official permissions from competent government authorities.

The FIR alleges that despite holding valid permissions, the contractor and his workers were subjected to systematic “interfering”, “harassment”, and “illegal demands” by the senior BJP functionary.

The complainant alleged that Gayoor initially demanded an “extortion” sum of Rs 5 lakh to allow the lawful execution of work to continue unhindered.

“The complainant is engaged in the extraction and transportation of soil for the work being undertaken for Gurudwara Parbandhak, Barthana, and the said work is being carried out strictly in accordance with the permission granted by the competent authorities,” the complainant alleged.

“That despite the work being duly authorised, the accused Gayoor has, for some time, been continuously interfering with and obstructing the complainant and his drivers/workers. The accused has been repeatedly contacting the complainant over the telephone, threatening him and demanding illegal gratification as a condition for allowing the complainant to continue the lawful work,” he claimed.

The complaint details how the situation escalated on August 8, 2026, at approximately 10:50am, when Gayoor arrived at the extraction site in Parigam, Pulwama.

The politician allegedly drove onto the spot and deliberately parked his personal vehicle in front of the contractor’s heavy machinery and transport trucks to physically block their movement.

When staff and drivers confronted him and presented valid government-issued permissions, Gayoor allegedly began filming videos on his mobile phone, alleging “illegal work” and resorting to severe intimidation tactics.

“When some of the drivers and staff questioned the accused as to why he had deliberately parked his vehicle in front of their vehicles and confronted him regarding the valid permission held by the complainant, the accused threatened them by stating, in substance, that he would ‘book them under PSA’, thereby deliberately creating fear and alarm amongst them,” the FIR quotes the complainant as saying.

The complainant further said that Gayoor repeatedly used the threat of administrative detention under the Public Safety Act as a weapon of coercion.

“The accused has further threatened the complainant that he would use his position/influence and get PSA slapped against the complainant if the complainant failed to oblige his illegal demands,” the complaint alleges, adding that the threat of misusing government authority to force monetary compliance caused grave apprehension and panic among workers.

The FIR alleges that under continuous pressure, operational obstruction, and fear of being framed under preventive detention laws, the contractor made partial cash payments to the politician.

Gayoor allegedly received ₹50,000 on November 21, 2025, followed by another ₹4,000 on November 22, 2025, totaling ₹54,000 in extorted funds. Despite receiving these sums, the accused allegedly continued to make “further illegal demands for gratification”, rendering the contractor’s operations “unbearable”.

Following the formal receipt of the complaint, Police Station Pulwama registered a formal case under Section 126(2) for wrongful restraint, Section 308(2) for extortion, Section 308(3) for attempting extortion by putting a person in fear of injury, Section 351(2) for criminal intimidation, and Section 352 for intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace under the BNS.

Meanwhile, investigation of the case has been assigned to an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) rank police officer.