Moon Desk: Close on the heels of bulldozing of three Muslim homes in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni District, officials in Morena demolished two Muslim homes over allegations of cow slaughter.According to reports, houses of Asghar Khan and Jaffar Khan were demolished in Noorabad village after members of the right-wing outfit Bajrang Dal created ruckus demanding bulldozer action and invocation of National Security Act (NSA) against the duo.
According to Hindi daily DainikBhashkar, Bajrang Dal leaders claimed that beef was found in the house of a Muslim. They had also blocked highway to pressurise the administration for their demands. Following Bajrang Dal ruckus, the police filed an FIR against several persons from the Muslims community. Jaffar Khan, Asghar Khan, Shammi, Afsar, Retua, Bishnoi, Mausam, Iqrar and Sahu were booked. The NSA was invoked against Asghar and his father-in-law Retua.
A viral video shows the Bajrang Dal leaders vowing to get the house of the accused demolished and the NSA invoked. The ensuing administration action was on similar lines.During this week, dozens of houses belonging to Muslims were bulldozed in Madhya Pradesh’s various districts – Mandla, Ratlam, Jaora, Seoni and now Morena over allegations of cow slaughter. In some case, even stringent NSA was invoked against the accused.
The complainant named DilipSinhGurjar claimed that cow was slaughtered by some people in Morena’s Bengali Colony. He alleged that he was attacked when he tried to stop the slaughter. On Monday, three Muslim house were demolished in Seoni after animal carcasses were allegedly found in some parts of the districts. Several people were arrested while NSA was invoked against three.
In Jaora district, houses of four Muslim men were demolished over cow slaughter allegations .In Ratlam, two houses belonging to Muslim men were demolished over similar allegations.InMandla, 11 houses were demolished over the allegations of cow slaughter.The state government led by the BharatiyaJanta Party (BJP) continues to bulldoze houses especially of Muslims following some allegations and flimsy ground.
In Ujjain, house of a Muslim family was demolished and three persons were arrested following allegation of spitting on a religious procession. Last year, the court ruled that the allegations were fabricated as witnesses turned hostile and maintained that their testimonies were taken under duress.
Rights groups have been raising voice against these bulldozer actions. India’s widespread unlawful demolitions of Muslims’ homes, businesses and places of worship through the use of JCB bulldozers and other machines must stop immediately, Amnesty International said in two companion reports released on 7 February this year.
It also called on the Government of India and state governments to immediately halt the de facto policy of demolishing people’s homes as a form of extra-judicial punishment and ensure nobody is made homeless as a result of forced evictions. They must also offer adequate compensation to all those affected by the demolitions and ensure those responsible for these violations are held to account.
“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 AgnèsCallamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
