Human Rights Group Condemns India’s ‘Bulldozer Injustice’

Documents Targeted Demolition of at least 128 Properties in 15 Days

Newsreel Asia Insight #125
Feb. 8, 2024

A report by the human rights group Amnesty International has documented the alleged targeted demolition of at least 128 properties, including homes, businesses and places of worship, largely belonging to Muslims in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-governed state of Delhi in a span of 15 days between April and June 2022.

Titled “If You Speak Up Your House Will Be Demolished: Bulldozer Injustice in India” and released on Feb. 7, the report says the demolitions impacted at least 617 people, rendering them homeless or depriving them of their livelihoods.

“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; eight in Assam; and three in Uttar Pradesh (one in Prayagraj and two in Saharanpur),” Amnesty International states.

Amnesty International says it meticulously examined 63 out of the 128 properties reported to have been marked for destruction. Between May 19 and June 13, 2023, the organisation conducted 107 interviews with individuals affected by the demolitions, as well as consultations with legal professionals, journalists and community leaders across several regions.

Out of 75 survivors interviewed, only six received any form of prior notice from the authorities, according to the report, which claims that widespread use of intimidation and force by police was documented, with 39 cases involving unnecessary force to carry out demolitions.

“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,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“The authorities have repeatedly undermined the rule of law, destroying homes, businesses or places of worship, through targeted campaigns of hate, harassment, violence and the weaponization of JCB bulldozers. These human rights abuses must be urgently addressed.”

Another report released by Amnesty International, also released on Feb. 7, highlighting the use of JCB-branded bulldozers as a primary tool. JCB is a U.K.-based company specialising in earthmoving, construction, agriculture and demolition equipment.

That report says that JCB’s machinery, while not the only equipment used, was the most widely deployed in these demolitions, earning the brand derogatory monikers from right-wing media and politicians. Despite JCB's stance of having no control over the use or abuse of its products post-sale, Amnesty International argues that under international standards, JCB holds responsibility for the actions of third-party buyers, especially in contexts linked to human rights abuses.

It states: “Despite the increased use of JCB machines by the Indian authorities for mass demolitions, in April 2022, while demolitions were underway in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, the then prime minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Boris Johnson, inaugurated a newly established manufacturing factory for JCB India in Vadodara city, Gujarat.21 Prime Minister Boris Johnson was joined by Lord Bamford, the chairperson of JCB, and Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel, the Chief Minister of Gujarat.22 The former Prime Minister’s visit to the JCB factory was debated in the UK parliament, where various parliamentarians raised concerns about his silence on human rights violations in India, calling it a ‘moral failure.’”

It adds: “JCB must immediately engage with entities in its value chain and the Indian authorities to seek to prevent its machines from being used to mete out extra-judicial punishment to Muslims. It must also publicly condemn the use of its machines as symbols of hate, with debilitating repercussions for Muslims in the country. Lastly, it must take the most ambitious measures to identify and assess the human rights impacts of its products and services where there are heightened risks of misuse, and actively prevent and mitigate these risks and abuses.”