"Bulldozer": Symbol of Systematic Violations Against Muslims in India

 The "bulldozer" in India has transformed into one of the most prominent symbols representing the violations faced by Muslims. It has become a recurring tool for demolishing their mosques, schools, cemeteries, and homes, in striking spectacles taking place particularly in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A glaring example of this occurred in the city of Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, where police raided a mosque and found posters inside reading "I love Muhammad" in English. The authorities subsequently summoned a bulldozer and demolished the mosque without providing any clear justification or completing standard legal procedures. While future revelations may uncover additional details about this incident, what transpired reflects a reality that has become all too familiar: a sense among authorities that legal justification is unnecessary before demolishing Muslim properties, whether they are mosques, schools, cemeteries, or residences.

Bulldozer Baba and the Weaponization of Demolitions

The bulldozer has become an inherent symbol of repressive policies directed against Muslims. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has even earned the nickname "Bulldozer Baba" due to his frequent reliance on this method when dealing with Muslims, even in the simplest of matters. Adityanath, a saffron-robed Hindu monk, is known for his publicly hostile stances toward Muslims and a series of provocative statements that have sparked widespread controversy within India.

Adityanath’s name has been linked to bulldozers since he assumed the state's premiership in 2017, when his government began utilizing them to remove properties allegedly linked to criminal gangs or unlawful structures. However, this policy gradually evolved, becoming by 2020 the emblem of a government campaign under the banner of "enforcing law and order." Reviewing numerous reports reveals a clear double standard in law enforcement; authorities exhibit immense speed in demolishing Muslim mosques, schools, cemeteries, and homes for reasons that may appear marginal and without fulfilling legal procedures, whereas they resort to standard judicial pathways when Hindus are involved. Consequently, Adityanath's supporters adopted the title "Bulldozer Baba" as an expression carrying connotations of gloating over the suffering Muslims experience at his hands.

Transcending Borders and Targeting Historic Islamic Sites

This policy has not been confined to Uttar Pradesh; it has extended to other BJP-ruled states after gaining widespread attention. States such as Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Assam have witnessed similar campaigns targeting Muslim places of worship, properties, and historical buildings. These operations have resulted in the demolition of thousands of homes and hundreds of mosques, schools, and cemeteries, including heritage buildings dating back to the pre-independence era or the Mughal period.

According to reports, Yogi Adityanath’s government launched a vast campaign in May 2025 in the border areas of Uttar Pradesh adjacent to Nepal. This resulted in the bulldozing of 250 Islamic religious schools (madrasas), 30 mosques, 25 cemeteries, and six Eid prayer grounds (Eidgahs) under the pretext that they were illegal structures. The campaign spanned seven border districts: Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Pilibhit.

This campaign persisted through June of the same year. The demolition of a mosque nearly a thousand years old and a two-century-old shrine triggered a widespread wave of anxiety regarding the targeting of Islamic religious sites across several BJP-governed states.

These operations do not appear to be merely isolated incidents. Reports indicate that since May, at least 23 Islamic religious structures—comprising mosques, shrines, Eidgahs, and madrasas—have been demolished across six different states. Furthermore, the historic Ganj Shahida Mosque in Varanasi, estimated to be around a thousand years old, faces legal measures that could culminate in its demolition.

These practices have been recorded in multiple states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Haryana. This has reinforced accusations of selective targeting directed at Islamic religious sites, especially since all these operations were executed without adherence to due legal process.

The Human Toll and Desecration of Cemeteries

Statistics indicate that more than 7,400 homes owned by Muslims were demolished during 2024 alone. Concurrently, authorities—even in some states not ruled by the BJP—have deliberately framed punitive demolitions targeting Muslims as part of urban development and modernization projects.

On June 19, 2024, the Uttar Pradesh government executed a large-scale eviction campaign in the Muslim-majority Akbar Nagar area of Lucknow. This resulted in the demolition of approximately 1,800 structures, including 1,169 homes and 101 commercial establishments, with the vast majority of these properties being Muslim-owned.

On April 26, 2026, residents of the Manoharpura area in the city of Mathura awoke to a shocking sight, finding violated graves, destroyed boundary structures, and exposed shrouds above the ground in the "Ahl-e-Muslim" cemetery. Several residents confirmed that the graves of their parents, ancestors, and relatives were tampered with after JCB bulldozers, operating under the supervision of local authorities, entered the cemetery during the late hours of the night—an act described by residents as deliberate.

This assault resulted in the desecration of nine graves within the cemetery, which dates back to 1909. Additionally, six trees and twenty pillars of the surrounding fence were damaged, along with green spaces and landscaping work, as a result of the midnight bulldozing operations carried out under orders from Mathura municipal officials.

These occurrences represent only limited examples of a long record documenting the violations faced by Muslims in India, where successive reports monitor state assaults on their places of worship and properties, alongside accompanying violations of fundamental rights guaranteed by international conventions.

Amnesty International Denounces "Bulldozer Justice"

Based on these data points, Amnesty International has strongly condemned the policy known as "bulldozer justice," describing it as an illegal and discriminatory practice. The organization characterized it as a form of extrajudicial collective punishment that disproportionately targets the Muslim minority in India.

Among the prominent conclusions reached by the organization in its reports are:

• Retaliatory Targeting: Through extensive research and reports published in early 2024, the organization documented numerous punitive demolitions targeting homes, shops, and places of worship in states such as Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. It emphasized that these measures were frequently used as a means of retaliation against Muslims or to silence them due to their opposition to policies deemed discriminatory, or because of their participation in peaceful protests.

• Severe Human Rights Violations: The organization asserted that these operations are often carried out without adherence to due legal process, and without granting the affected individuals sufficient prior notice or a genuine opportunity for legal appeal. This leads to forced evictions, the displacement of families, and massive losses to their livelihoods.

• Corporate Accountability: Amnesty International also criticized heavy equipment manufacturing companies, foremost among them JCB, noting that its machinery is widely used in demolitions that the organization deems unconstitutional. It called on the company to commit to its human rights responsibilities and take serious steps to prevent its equipment from being utilized in such violations.

• Demand for Justice: The organization demanded that Indian authorities immediately halt all forced evictions and punitive demolitions, and fairly compensate affected families while holding accountable the officials responsible for ordering or executing these unlawful measures.

The Supreme Court's Historic Ruling and Standing Guidelines

In contrast to these practices, the Supreme Court of India issued a historic ruling in November 2024, considered one of the most prominent judicial judgments concerning what has become known as "bulldozer justice"—the arbitrary or punitive demolition of property outside the framework of the law. The ruling was issued by a judicial bench headed by Supreme Court Justice B.R. Gavai, incorporating a set of binding, nationwide guidelines aimed at ensuring no private property is demolished except after the completion of all due legal processes.

Among the key directives included in the ruling were:

• Prohibition of Punitive Demolition: The Court categorically affirmed that the mere accusation or even conviction of a person in a criminal case does not grant the executive authorities the right to demolish their property, emphasizing that the executive branch must not simultaneously assume the roles of judge, jury, and executioner.

• Prior Notice: The Court mandated that competent authorities issue a written notice to the property owner before executing any demolition, specifying the reasons for the decision, to be delivered at least fifteen days prior to the execution date.

• Right to Appeal: The Court also ruled that if a final demolition order is issued, authorities must wait an additional fifteen days before execution, so the property owner can resort to the judiciary to challenge the decision or remove the structure themselves if they wish to do so.

• Enhancing Transparency and Accountability: The Court required the complete documentation of demolition operations via video recordings, along with the preparation of an official inspection report for each operation, and the creation of an electronic platform where notices and procedures are recorded to ensure transparency and facilitate oversight and accountability.

• Imposing Liability on Violators: The judgment further stressed that any government official who bypasses these legal safeguards, or authorizes the execution of unlawful demolitions, will bear personal liability for their actions and may face legal proceedings, including charges of contempt of court.

An "Undeclared Emergency" and Continued Intolerance

Despite this judicial ruling, the wave of anxiety within Islamic circles has persisted. Several prominent Islamic bodies have described what mosques, madrasas, and Islamic shrines across India are experiencing as an "undeclared state of emergency." These organizations announced their intention to approach the judiciary to demand the reconstruction of religious structures demolished in the states of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

In this context, Arshad Madani, President of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, stated: "The country is indeed living in an undeclared state of emergency today. The demolition of citizens' homes and places of worship while ignoring legal procedures and judicial rulings contradicts the foundational principles upon which the Indian Constitution is built."

He added: "If bulldozers become the governments' means to achieve justice instead of courts, what is the value of the rule of law and citizens' rights? The government must not supplant the judiciary, because determining the legality or illegality of acts is an inherent and exclusive jurisdiction of the judicial authority alone."

For his part, the spokesperson for Jamaat-e-Islami Hind expressed deep concern over the demolition campaigns targeting religious structures, residential buildings, and vulnerable groups in a number of Indian states, considering these practices a dangerous escalation against Muslims.

Furthermore, the spokesperson for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Mr. Kasim Rasul Ilyas, announced that the Board has decided to prepare a comprehensive document chronicling the various violations faced by Muslims in the country. He explained that it will include files related to what he described as "bulldozer terrorism," the demolition of madrasas, assaults on cemeteries, and the deletion of Muslim names through the SIR process, as well as incidents of extrajudicial execution (lynching), with this document slated for publication in the near future.

Despite repeated condemnations issued by international human rights organizations, the historic ruling of the Indian Supreme Court, and ongoing objections from Islamic bodies, the punitive demolition campaigns targeting Muslims using bulldozers continue at the same pace, with no sign of abating on the horizon.

These practices have left harsh humanitarian and social consequences; large numbers of Muslims have been deprived of their dwellings, places of worship, and basic facilities. Many families have been left homeless and without a source of livelihood amidst demolitions carried out outside the framework of due legal process.

Conversely, these campaigns have turned into a source of celebration among certain extremist Hindu groups and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and members of their party. They view the use of bulldozers as a symbol of firmness in confronting Muslims, reflecting the scale of hatred and animosity fueling these practices.

In this context, the city of Mainpuri witnessed a striking scene on November 9, 2024, when a number of Yogi Adityanath's supporters attended one of his public events riding on bulldozers, in an image that has come to express the political approach associated with him. Pop music linked to the "Hindutva" ideology has further reinforced this symbolic presence of the bulldozer, until it became part of the political and media discourse accompanying those gatherings.

The employment of this symbol has not been restricted to the Indian domestic arena but has extended to Indian communities abroad, including the United States of America. In August 2022, during India's Independence Day celebrations in the township of Edison, New Jersey, crowds carrying Indian flags of saffron, white, and green lined both sides of the parade route. Among the participants appeared a yellow bulldozer bearing a banner written in Hindi that read "Baba Bulldozer," alongside images of Yogi Adityanath, in a scene reflecting the transit of this political symbol beyond Indian borders.

While these events reflect the reality of the current phase, indicators do not suggest an end to this policy in the near future, given the continued reliance of Narendra Modi's government and the BJP on a discourse and policies built on religious and sectarian polarization. Consequently, hardly a day passes without the media carrying news about the demolition of a mosque, a madrasas, a cemetery, or a home belonging to Muslims, often without convincing justifications or the completion of the legal procedures mandated by law and the Constitution.

Thus, the "bulldozer" has transcended being merely a machine used for removing buildings, transforming into a political and media symbol that embodies—in the eyes of many human rights organizations and Islamic bodies—a pattern of systematic violations targeting Muslims. It raises increasing questions regarding the extent of commitment to the rule of law, the protection of constitutional rights, and the safeguarding of religious freedoms in the world's most populous democracy.