Drive Against Encroachment, Really? Amnesty Tears Into ‘Bulldozer Justice’
Calling the “Bulldozer Injustice” violation of the International Humanitarian Laws, the Amnesty International urged the Narendra Modi government to give it a stop. Read More
Mumbai: The Amnesty International has accused the governments in five Indian states of ‘blatant bias’ against Muslims in turn engaging in “extra-judicial collective punishment” of the community under the guise of clearing encroachment which its supporters boast of as ‘Bulldozer Justice’.
In a report released on Wednesday February 07, 2024, the Amnesty International described the governments’ drive against encroachments conducted after communal clashes as “Bulldozer Injustice” committed to selectively target the Muslims.
“The authorities had specifically targeted Muslim-populated areas and discriminately demolished properties of Muslims, while the neighboring Hindu properties were left untouched”, the Amnesty said in a 78-page report titled ‘If you speak up, your house will be demolished’: Bulldozer Injustice in India’.
'128 demolitions in 15 days'
The Amnesty documented in detail as many as 128 cases of demolitions done in five states - including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Assam – all ruled by the BJP, and Delhi where the Aam Aadmit Party (AAP) is in power.
The Amnesty International said it verified the discriminatory actions of the authorities by visiting the sites of demolitions and found that properties owned by people of Hindu faith continued to stand erect. “This pattern was distinctly visible in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat”, it said.
“There is a Hindu temple built on government land right across where my shop stood. It’s huge. That is clearly illegal occupation of government land, but will they remove it? If they want to do justice, it should be done equally, whether the property belongs to Hindu or Muslim”, the Amnesty International quoted Zahid Ali Sayyed, who owned a tent house in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, as saying.
Shockingly, the 128 demolition cases that the Amnesty documented in its report occurred in April 2022 within a span of just 15 days.
"In a span of 15 days, at least 128 properties were destroyed in the five states: 36 in Gujarat (21 in Khambhat and 13 in Himmatnagar), 56 in Madhya Pradesh (45 in Khargone and 11 in Sendhwa), 25 in Delhi, 08 in Assam, and 03 in Uttar Pradesh (01 in Prayagraj and 02 in Saharanpur)”, the Amnesty said.
"In each of the five states, eyewitnesses and survivors vividly narrated how an atmosphere of fear and intimidation was created by the excessive and disproportionate deployment of police force. Most survivors did not dare to approach the authorities to ask any questions", the Amnesty said.
"This must be viewed in the broader context of systemic discrimination faced by Muslims in the criminal justice system in India, where they are often victims of ill-treatment by the police and other law enforcement officials, and their complaints are seldom investigated. This has resulted in a grave trust deficit and fear of law enforcement officials throughout the community", it said.
“In all five states, Amnesty International found that targeted demolitions and forced evictions were used by the state authorities as a form of extrajudicial and collective and arbitrary punishment and retaliation against Muslims speaking against injustices and discrimination they were facing”, the Amnesty said.
'Hindu religious processions'
In its report the Amnesty International also observed that the communal clashes that were later used as reasons for the punitive actions against Muslims occurred when Hindus took religious processions in Muslim dominated areas playing “loud provocative music”.
“On 10 and 15 April 2022 respectively, communal violence between Hindus and Muslims was reported in Khargone and Sendhwa towns in Madhya Pradesh, Himmatnagar and Khambhat towns in Gujarat and Jahangirpuri area of Delhi. This included arson, vandalism of mosques, looting of businesses and homes”, the Amnesty International noted in its report.
“This (violence) occurred after Hindus carried out religious processions commemorating the Hindu festivals of Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti which coincided with the period of Ramzan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims before Eid-Ul-Fitr. The Hindu rallies started from Muslim-populated areas and loud provocative music was played by the Hindu participants. In all three states, this resulted in violence between Hindus and Muslims in the areas where the processions were carried out”, the Amnesty International said.
“Of the 63 demolitions Amnesty International investigated, 20 properties were owned or rented by people who were either prosecuted for the preceding violence or protests or were related to such people. In all five states, Amnesty International found that targeted demolitions and forced evictions were used by the state authorities as a form of extrajudicial and collective and arbitrary punishment and retaliation against Muslims speaking against injustices and discrimination they were facing”, the Amnesty International said.
Calling the “Bulldozer Injustice” violation of the International Humanitarian Laws, the Amnesty International urged the Narendra Modi government to give it a stop.
“The unlawful demolition of Muslim properties by the Indian authorities, peddled as ‘bulldozer justice’ by political leaders and media, is cruel and appalling. Such displacement and dispossession is deeply unjust, unlawful and discriminatory. They are destroying families— and must stop immediately,” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General said.
The Amnesty in another report titled “‘Unearthing Accountability: JCB’s Role and Responsibility in Bulldozer Injustice in India’ released simultaneously also held the British bulldozer manufacturer responsible and asked it to keep a check on misuse of their products.
“JCB has a responsibility to respect human rights including by conducting due diligence to identify, prevent and mitigate adverse human rights impacts that are directly linked to its operations, products or services across its value chain”, the Amnesty said.
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