Vehicles seized, FIR registered after influencers drive through forest in Budgam Kashmir

October 13, 2025 by News Desk

Authorities in central Kashmir’s Budgam district have seized several vehicles and registered an FIR against a group of social media influencers after videos surfaced showing them driving through the protected Brainwar forest area, causing damage to the fragile ecosystem.

The videos, widely shared on social media, showed a convoy of vehicles tearing through lush green pastures on the Ashtaar–Brainwar route, an ecologically sensitive zone classified as a protected forest under the Jammu Kashmir Forest Act.

The footage triggered public outrage, with users tagging district and forest officials and demanding strict action.

Following the backlash, District Magistrate Budgam Dr. Bilal M. Bhat confirmed that immediate legal action had been initiated. “Action under relevant sections of the Indian Forest Act has already been initiated,” he posted on social media.

Forest officials said the vehicles used in the incident have been seized and those involved booked for damaging forest property and disturbing wildlife. “Unauthorized entry or vehicular movement inside protected zones is strictly prohibited. We have taken the matter seriously,” one official told The Kashmiriyat.

Preliminary investigations suggest the influencers had entered the forest without official permission to shoot content for social media. Authorities have said the case will proceed under environmental and forest protection laws.

This incident comes months after a similar controversy in Pahalgam, where bikers were seen damaging alpine meadows. The vloggers involved later apologized after facing public criticism and administrative action.

Environmental experts have cautioned that such activities pose long-term threats to Kashmir’s fragile upland ecosystems. Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad, an environmental specialist from Budgam, said that meadows act as “natural water regulators and soil binders.”

“When these pastures are compacted or damaged by vehicles, the soil loses its ability to absorb water,” he explained. “That increases runoff, erosion, and the risk of flash floods downstream. Over time, it also disrupts grazing patterns, biodiversity, and the ecological balance.”

Locals and environmental activists have urged the government to impose a complete ban on vehicle entry into pasturelands unless permitted for official or emergency purposes.

“The meadows of Ashtaar and Brainwar are not adventure parks,” said a local activist. “They are part of our ecological heritage, vital to water systems and livelihoods. Turning them into viral content zones is unacceptable. If these meadows are destroyed, all of Kashmir suffers.”

Officials said the investigation is ongoing to identify all individuals involved. The incident has reignited debate over Kashmir’s unregulated trend of adventure vlogging and the urgent need for stricter enforcement and public awareness to protect the region’s vulnerable landscapes.