Bulldozer politics

Since 2017, the bulldozer,[a] an industrial machine, has become a political tool and symbol in Indian politics, particularly in the politics of Uttar Pradesh. This began with the evoking of the machine by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath of the BJP. While bulldozers are routinely used across India to remove illegal constructions, the bulldozer in this case has been used as an extrajudicial tool and a power statement against alleged criminals, communal violence rioters and accused criminals.[opinion] Following its usage in political messaging in Uttar Pradesh, the bulldozer was used in Madhya Pradesh to convey political messages aimed at showing a strong stance against criminals. Narratives conveyed that a lot of the usage of the bulldozer was itself communal in nature. Critics argue that giving up on the rule of law and adopting "bulldozer justice" is the initial move toward an authoritarian society. In such a society, the safety, life, and liberty of individuals would depend on the arbitrary decisions of state officials.[5]

Its rhetoric usage by Adityanath started following the commencement of his first term in office from March 2017. By 2020, property belonging to numerous criminals such as Vikas Dubey, as well as politician-strongmen and gangsters Mukhtar Ansari and Atique Ahmed had been demolished using bulldozers. The action against Dubey started after he and his associates killed eight policemen in July 2020 during an attempted arrest. The UP government committed to free up 67,000 acres (270 km2)[b] of government land and other illegally occupied land by land mafia, issuing certain directives related to the use of bulldozers and also warned of their misuse. Adityanath began his second term as chief minister in March 2022. In a similar manner, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, another state with a BJP-based CM, began usage of the bulldozer in March 2022 against properties of the mafia, accused rapists and rioters. By late April 2022, bulldozers had also been used on the property of rioters in Delhi and Gujarat, with politics and legal issues ensuing, including over anti-encroachment drives in a BJP-held municipality in Rajasthan, an otherwise Congress-ruled state. In Uttarakhand, rioters during Hanuman Jayanti processions were threatened with bulldozers parked in the vicinity of property owned by the accused.

On September 2024, Supreme Court ordered the governments stop bulldozer homes.[6][7][8][9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Pandey, Sanjay; Jha, Satish; Joy, Shemin (24 April 2022). "From Yogi to Jahangirpuri: The rise of the Bulldozer Raj". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Bhatia, Gautam (10 August 2023). "Abandoning the rule of law for 'bulldozer justice' is the first step towards an authoritarian society where ensuring a person's safety, life and liberty will be at the whims and fancies of state officials". The Hindu.
  6. ^ "Supreme Court questions bulldozer justice, will lay down 'pan-India' norms for due process". The Indian Express.
  7. ^ "'Not Everyone's Hands Can Fit on a Bulldozer': Adityanath Says Days After SC Decries House Demolitions". The Wire.
  8. ^ "Demolition squad: On the Supreme Court and 'bulldozer justice'". The Hindu.
  9. ^ "No Demolition Without Permission: SC On Bulldozer Action In Country". Outlook India.


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