Rights Advocates Denounce BJP's "Bulldozer Justice" Tactics Against Muslims in New Reports

Image : Amnesty International

Rights advocates, alongside the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), have strongly denounced the BJP government's extrajudicial punishment tactics against Muslims, including house demolitions and arbitrary arrests, describing them as part of a dangerous state crackdown on religious minorities. Two reports, released by APCR and titled "State-Sanctioned Mobocracy: How State Machinery Fuels Communal Agendas and Extrajudicial Punishments" and "Bulldozing Dissent: Disproportionate State Crackdown on Muslim Protestors," expose violent and discriminatory actions by the BJP governments of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Focusing on incidents in Udaipur, Rajasthan, and Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, the reports highlight government measures targeting Muslim communities, including the demolition of homes as a form of punishment. At a press conference unveiling the findings, parliamentarians, human rights advocates, legal experts, journalists, and concerned citizens expressed alarm at these developments.

Professor Manoj K. Jha, a Member of Parliament from the RJD, urged the public to reject the normalization of such injustices, criticizing the judiciary’s selective approach to the issue. “The neutrality of polarization and elections has caused a lot of harm,” he remarked, warning of the dangerous precedent being set by the use of bulldozers as a campaign tool in places like Kashmir.

Wajahat Habibullah, former Chief Information Commissioner, drew parallels between the current climate in India and the early days of Nazi Germany, cautioning against the blurring of lines between nationalism and patriotism. He argued that the government’s actions are aimed at alienating Muslims for electoral gains, comparing these moves to the methods used in Nazi Germany to justify state-sponsored persecution.

Social activist Harsh Mander reflected on the broader implications, noting that the government's role as an enforcer of mob violence has escalated in recent years. "We will remember the second term of Narendra Modi for lynchings," Mander said, "but in this third term, we don’t need a lynch mob – the government itself has taken on that role."

Bhasha Singh, an independent journalist, condemned the media for endorsing "bulldozer justice" without holding the government accountable. She expressed concern over the silence of the courts, characterizing bulldozer justice as emblematic of a fascist regime. “The government is also bulldozing history,” she remarked, adding that the word “injustice” should be applied to all such actions across the country.

During the event, APCR’s Nadeem Khan warned that the trend of "bulldozer justice" is spreading across India, presenting a dire threat to the nation's justice system. Advocate Muzammil Rizvi, Secretary of APCR Rajasthan, shared details of a case in Udaipur where a small altercation between two students spiraled into a larger communal conflict, culminating in the government demolishing the homes of Muslim families. Rizvi condemned the response as discriminatory and disproportionate.

Advocate M. Huzaifa echoed this sentiment, calling the Udaipur administration's actions both illegal and immoral, reflecting how state machinery supports mob violence instead of upholding the law. Meanwhile, researcher Prakriti emphasized the often-overlooked impact of Hindutva violence on women, calling for restorative justice aimed at healing society rather than revenge-driven actions.

Syed Javed Akhtar, Secretary of APCR Madhya Pradesh, discussed how government crackdowns on Muslim protestors in Madhya Pradesh have forced many families to flee their homes in fear. The reports and the advocates’ commentary paint a troubling picture of a state-sanctioned assault on India’s Muslim population, with calls for immediate action to prevent further harm.