By Anwarulhaq Baig
NEW DELHI –Coinciding with the demolition of a mosque and a madrasa in Haldwani town of Uttarakhand, Amnesty International has released two reports condemning the widespread use of bulldozers to demolish Muslim homes, businesses, and places of worship across India.
The reports, titled “If you speak up, your house will be demolished: Bulldozer Injustice in India” and “Unearthing Accountability: JCB’s Role and Responsibility in Bulldozer Injustice in India,” document these demolitions in five states and accuse authorities of using them as a form of “extra-judicial punishment” against the minority community.
The five states are Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
Uttarakhand is also following in the footsteps of these five states. While a central government agency in Delhi demolished an 800 year old mosque recorded as a monument in Archaeological survey of India record, authorities in Haldwani town of Uttarakhand demolished a mosque and madrasa on the pretext that they were built on government land.
Amnesty International’s investigation revealed that these demolitions are often carried out with impunity, citing the recent example of Mira Road in Mumbai where homes were bulldozed after a Ram Temple rally turned violent.
The reports highlight the discriminatory nature of these actions, with Muslim properties specifically targeted while nearby Hindu properties remain untouched.
The organization demanded central and state governments to end this de facto policy of extra-judicial punishment and provide compensation to those affected by the demolitions.
Urging authorities to punish those who bulldozed Muslim houses and properties, the Amnesty asked Additionally, Amnesty urged authorities must guarantee the safety and security of Muslim communities.
Amnesty Secretary General Agnès Callamard said, “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.”
Between April and June 2022 alone, Amnesty documented the punitive demolition of at least 128 properties, mostly belonging to Muslims, across the states of Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The demolitions directly impacted at least 617 people, rendering many families homeless or depriving them of their livelihoods.
Amnesty investigators found no evidence that authorities followed due process in carrying out the demolitions, including providing adequate notice to residents or allowing them to appeal demolition orders.
Instead, state agencies often carried out demolitions in the middle of the night or early morning, giving occupants little to no time to gather their belongings before bulldozers razed their properties.
In a disturbing pattern, demolitions frequently targeted Muslim neighborhoods following incidents of communal clashes or protests by Muslims against discriminatory policies and remarks by ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians.
Amnesty alleges that demolitions were often ordered directly by senior BJP leaders, intended as extrajudicial collective punishment against the broader Muslim population.
For example, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra warned after riots in Khargone that “if Muslims carry out such attacks, then they should not expect justice.”
The very next day, authorities descended on Muslim areas in Khargone, flattening homes and businesses in purported encroachment removal drives, but leaving untouched properties owned by Hindus.
“The (bulldozers) directly attacked our house. We weren’t given any notice. Nothing,” said Hasina Bi, a 56-year-old widow who was at her home in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh when it was targeted and demolished in April 2022 by the municipal authorities.
Citing another incident of a 60-year-old woman whose house was demolished in Sendhwa, Madhya Pradesh, said: “When we asked what our fault was, they beat up my husband with lathis (batons). I was yelling that my disabled son is inside, but they did not stop… I could have lost them both.”
Amnesty also accused police of widespread intimidation and excessive use of force while carrying out demolitions. Researchers documented dozens of instances where authorities beat residents asking why their homes were being demolished or trying to recover belongings from the rubble.
According to Amnesty report, survivors of the demolition drive in Assam, India, have described a climate of terror and fear that has gripped their community for months.
The report raises concerns about the use of excessive force and the creation of a climate of terror among the community.
The report, based on interviews with residents of Nagaon district, details the lasting impact of the demolitions, which targeted the homes of individuals accused of involvement in violence. A 70-three-year-old Rafiq Sheikh said he and his family continue to live in fear, unsure of what “might come next” and whether authorities will return with further demolitions or “excesses.”
Advocate Junaid Khalid paints a chilling picture of the atmosphere in the aftermath of the demolitions, describing the area as a “graveyard” for months. He claims police threatened residents with demolition of their homes if they offered shelter to children of families whose houses were destroyed.
“Everyone was terrorized,” Khalid told Amnesty International.
The Amnesty reports suggest that punitive demolitions targeting Muslims are being orchestrated at the highest levels of government in several Indian states. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has gained notoriety as “Bulldozer Baba” for aggressively pursuing home demolitions as extrajudicial punishment, particularly against Muslims. India’s media has glowingly referred to the demolitions as “bulldozer justice,” praising them as models of good governance without scrutinizing blatant violations of due process and discrimination.
Amnesty Secretary General Callamard lambasted the complicity and inaction of Indian authorities in an ongoing climate of hate. Among the demolition machinery used, JCB-branded excavators and bulldozers have become extremely popular, gaining nicknames like “Jihadi Crushing Bulldozers.”
Photos and videos verified by Amnesty show JCB equipment was used extensively across Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to demolish Muslim properties.
Amnesty also called on JCB to publicly denounce the weaponization of its machinery against India’s Muslim community and take concrete steps to prevent recurrences in the future. However, in response, a JCB spokesperson replies, “once products have been sold to customers, the company has no control over or responsibility for their products’ use or abuse.”
Then Amnesty argued that as a leading manufacturer of demolition machinery with substantial operations in India, JCB bears responsibility under international standards like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The company must conduct proper human rights due diligence across its downstream supply chain to identify and mitigate risks linked to the misuse of its products by Indian authorities.
Amnesty’s Agnès Callamard said, “Under international standards, JCB is responsible for what third-party buyers do with its equipment. The company must stop looking away as JCB machines are used to target and punish the Muslim community, while people sloganeer anti-Muslim vitriol mounted from atop these bulldozers. JCB cannot continue to evade responsibility while its machines are repeatedly used to inflict human rights abuses.”
Nearly 18 months later, the vast majority of demolition victims are still awaiting justice, compensation and rehabilitation from the Indian government.
Amnesty Secretary General lambasted the complicity and inaction of Indian authorities in an ongoing climate of hate. She called on the government to guarantee the rights of marginalized groups are protected before, during and after elections.
“In a year that India heads to the polls, the ongoing hate campaign against minorities – especially Muslims – and the widespread impunity enjoyed by those responsible for the demolition of their homes and properties is unacceptable. Amnesty International calls on the Indian authorities to ensure immediate protection of the rights of Muslims and those who are most marginalized before, during and after elections,” she said.
Amnesty urged Indian authorities to immediately impose a moratorium on punitive demolitions, adequately compensate victims, prosecute officials responsible for human rights violations, and allow unfettered access to UN experts to investigate systemic discrimination against Muslims.
