On the day of Ram Navami, multiple communal clashes broke out on Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand,Rajasthan, and West Bengal. In the city of Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, stones were hurled at a Ram Navami procession triggering incidents of arson, prompting authorities to impose curfews in some areas.
In the very next day of this violence, the administration started bulldozing houses and shops in Khargone, and a total of 16 houses and 32 shops were razed to the ground in 2 days. The administration tried justifying the move by stating that some of the accused involved in the communal riots who own these properties were encroaching on public land illegally, and action has been taken based on land revenue records.However, the Twitter handle of Khargone Jansampark Office tweeted out that the demolition drive was against those involved in stone-pelting and rioting. The Home Minister of MP also commented on how houses of those who pelted the stones would be reduced to rubble.
What's startling about the demolition is that it was carried out without any proper investigation or court order. Some of the houses demolished by the MP Government were also even built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Most of those arrested are Muslims, and the people whose houses have been razed to the ground almost exclusively belong to the Muslim community.
Rise of Bulldozer Mama
While the Khargone violence and MP government's "Bulldozer justice" has gained national media attention, many people are still unaware of the fact that this was not the first instance of MP government using bulldozers to target mainly minority homes under the garb of "ensuring fast justice."
'Bulldozer politics', first spawned in MP's neigbouring state UP, when Yogi used the machine against many whom his administration declared as anti-social elements earning him the epithet of 'Bulldozer Baba'. Bulldozer justice in UP also manifests in various ways, for eg a police in Pratapgarh district in UP stationed a bulldozer in front of the accused person's house after receiving a rape complaint against him, making the accused surrender the next day. The UP government had also launched a recovery campaign against Muslims who allegedly damaged public property during the protest against the CAA.
Taking his cue from Yogi, Madhya Pradesh CM passed a strict law to "recover damaged property from protesters."The Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property and Recovery of Damages Bill 2021 was passed without any debates or discussion.In late December itself, what is perhaps the first instance of the implementation of the law. After Hindutva groups defied police order and entered a Muslim majority area during 'Shourya Yatra' in Manawar Tehsil of MP's Dhar district, a clash erupted, resulting in stone-pelting. Police, however, only arrested Muslims among those accused, and a Muslim man's house was razed for harbouring 3 of the accused there and not apparently having building permission.
On March 22, Chauhan, during a visit to Raisen where a tribal youth had died in a communal fight he described himself as Mama taking a leaf from Yogi's playbook who is often referred to as Bulldozer Baba. Chauhan said "Mama's [pointing to himself] bulldozer has set off and will not stop unless wrongdoers are not entirely destroyed." The CM first began calling himself 'Mama' after introducing a slew of schemes to benefit the girl child.
When 3 Muslim men were accused in the case of the gang rape of a minor in Sheopur, within hours, Chouhan ordered bulldozers, and their houses were razed. On March 31, when a case of rape by a sadhu came to light, the CM commented about asking officials as to when the bulldozers would come in handy. Chauhan has been referencing the "bulldozer" with increasing frequency at public speeches.
Despite the fact that the "Bulldozer justice" initiated by the Government completely disregards the rule of the land since people are punished on mere accusations and before conviction in a court of law, the Government's high-handedness is now being seen as a symbol of effectiveness. During the UP election campaign, Yogi Adityanath said that the bulldozers had gone for servicing and that once the results came out on March 10, they would once again be on active duty. With the way the current political atmosphere is being headed, no one would be surprised if a government's decisiveness is being on judged on the basis of the number of bulldozers it uses to demolish citizens' houses.
Since the UP government's stated objective of ensuring justice through such means have earned them some electoral gains, it's expected that Shivraj Singh Chauhan's bulldozer baba phase is likely to continue for more time, eyeing to gain some votes.
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