By Outlook Web Desk
With the Supreme Court putting state governments on notice for “unlawful” exercise of power–what is in common parlance known as Bulldozer Justice–Outlook takes a look back at the many incidents of such demolitions in the recent past.
The bulldozer model of governance was pioneered by Yogi Adityanath in 2017, during his first term as Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister (CM). It has since become standard practice in many states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
September, 2017: In his very first announcement after being elected UP’s CM, Adityanath said his government wanted to fix the state’s law and order situation. “My government will bulldoze houses of anyone even thinking of perpetuating crime against women and weaker sections of the society,” he said.
By 2020, property worth crores of rupees had been demolished and land seized by the UP government, earning Adityanath the title Bulldozer Baba.
July 2020: The house of Vikas Dubey, a well-known crime boss in UP, was demolished. Earlier that same week, eight UP police officers had been killed while trying to arrest the 60-year-old gangster. Dubey was shot by UP Police in an encounter after allegedly escaping from a police van that was carrying him to jail.
August 2020: Properties known to be those of former Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Mukhtar Ansari’s were razed, including his sons’ homes and a hotel. Reportedly, the entire incident involved 20 bulldozers and 250 policemen.
September 2020: Properties belonging to politician Atique Ahmed were demolished by six bulldozers in the span of five hours. The government said the buildings had not received requisite clearance from local authorities. Around Rs.25 crore worth of property was also seized from Ahmed in Lucknow.
This story was originally published in outlookindia.com. Read the full story here.
