Indian opposition, activists criticize ‘selective’ demolition drive

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - Opposition parties and activists in India have criticized the “selective” demolition drive carried out by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-controlled North Municipal Corporation in the violence-hit locality in the capital city of Delhi.

The bulldozers demolished a string of shops on the roadside in the predominately Muslim Jahangirpuri locality on Wednesday, four days after the area witnessed communal clashes. The authorities, however, called it an “anti-encroachment drive”.

While the drive was halted after the intervention of the apex court, till then authorities had demolished the gates of the main mosque in the area along with several houses and shops.

The incident came soon after several Muslim homes and shops were allegedly torn down in the Central Indian province of Madhya Pradesh on April 10 following communal clashes.

The trend of flattening properties was started by the Hindu monk-turned-Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in his Uttar Pradesh province. His government has been routinely demolishing homes of alleged criminals -- earning him the moniker of "bulldozer baba" or bulldozer monk.

Over the years, the Israeli military has been demolishing the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against Israelis.

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India's main opposition, the Congress party termed the act as "a demolition of India’s constitutional values”.

"This is state-sponsored targeting of poor and minorities. BJP must bulldoze the hatred in their hearts instead," he said.

Prominent Muslim leader and member of parliament, Asaduddin Owaisi described the trend of demolition of houses as “new bulldozer jurisprudence”.

“Muslims are undergoing collective punishment," said Owaisi in a statement issued by his party All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.

Taking to Twitter, Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of India's freedom icon Mahatma Gandhi wrote: "Bulldozing and razing Muslim homes and establishments is a crime perpetrated by the Thuggish tendencies of government and officials."

- Actor's message

With the attacks on minorities especially Muslims on the rise, several people are questioning the silence maintained by the majority community.

Indian actor Jaaved Jaafer in a message on social media platform exhorted countrymen to speak against this discrimination.

Quoting Nobel laureate Martin Luther King, he wrote: "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people," he said, in an apparent reference to the silence over attacks on the minority community.

Last Saturday, communal violence broke out in Delhi's Jahangirpuri area, in which several people, including police officers, were injured.

At least 20 people were arrested after the violence.

Responding to the calls of the ruling BJP leaders the North Delhi Municipal Corporation authorities began an "anti-encroachment drive" in the locality.

As the drive was going in presence of a large squad of police and paramilitary personnel, the Indian Supreme Court ordered a stay on the demolition.

The stay was extended for two weeks on Thursday.

- Petition by Muslim group

Earlier Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, the country's largest socio-religious Muslim organization, had filed a petition urging that no residential or commercial structures be demolished.

The petition had come after the provincial Madhya Pradesh government, demolished the houses and shops of many Muslims accusing them of pelting stones at a Hindu procession. A similar action took place in neighboring Gujarat state as well.

Several states experienced communal violence last week during the Hindu festival of Ram Navami recently. In Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone city, authorities imposed a curfew to bring the situation under control.