Srinagar, April 26 -- During the Amarnath agitation in 2008, the curfews of 2010 and 2016, the lockdown after Article 370 was scrapped, and the Covid shutdowns, our forests were plundered, illegal buildings sprang up, and wetlands were encroached.

Now, after the Pahalgam killings, it's happening again. But this time, it's not just the forests under attack. It's our karewas, rivers, and mountains.

On Friday, April 25, 2025, I was driving through Darwan village near Charar Sharief in Budgam district. I had gone to meet a friend and we had lunch together after prayers at Watkaloo village. As we left around 4:30 PM, something caught my eye. A small hillock by the roadside had been razed to the ground. It looked like a bomb had hit it.

We p...