By Masihuzzama Ansari
NEW DELHI – With the bulldozer becoming a weapon in the hands of majoritarian forces and the unlawful demolitions of Muslims’ homes, businesses, and places of worship being normalized, strong voices are emerging from civil society to stop the injustice without delay. There is a deep sense of anguish and outrage over the government’s illegal action to destroy the homes and livelihoods of the Muslim community in several states.
India’s first Chief Information Commissioner and former Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Wajahat Habibullah, gave voice to the distress felt by Muslims over the illegal punishment meted out to them through bulldozers. Habibullah highlighted various aspects of the issue while releasing a report on “Bulldozer Injustice” at the Press Club of India in New Delhi recently.
While sharing his views in the programme, Habibullah said all the organs of the administration were failing in the “Bulldozer Raj”, because there was no legal status of punishment by a bulldozer even if a crime was proved to have been committed by anyone.
“This report has made it clear that all this is being done to take revenge on Muslims. All of this activity is illegal. This is a criminal action which is being implemented against Muslims by the government, media and judiciary together,” Habibullah said.
Habibullah, who was an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from 1968 until his retirement in August 2005, said his last position in the government was not under the Right to Information Act, but in the National Commission for Minorities. “As the Commission’s Chairman, I witnessed a lot of things. The incidents that are being noticed now have been happening for a long time,” he said.
This story was originally published in indiatomorrow.net. Read the full story here.
