NEW DELHI: Following a day of communal unrest in Udaipur, Rajasthan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government took the controversial step of demolishing the house belonging to the minor Muslim boy accused of stabbing his classmate. The demolition was carried out on the grounds that the house had been built illegally on Forest Department land, The Hindu reported.
The Forest Department issued an evacuation notice to the family in the morning, and by the afternoon, the house had been demolished. Such actions have become a notable feature in BJP-ruled states, where demolishing homes of individuals from targeted communities has been increasingly common.
The violence in Udaipur on Friday, largely instigated by Hindu right-wing groups, included arson, vandalism, and stone-throwing, with provocative slogans being chanted outside mosques and dargahs. By Saturday, the situation had calmed down, with markets reopening and no new incidents reported, according to The Hindu.
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) condemned the demolition as an example of “bulldozer justice,” labeling the action as illegal, discriminatory, and communal. The PUCL criticized the selective nature of the demolition, arguing that many houses in the area were similarly constructed but only the Muslim boy’s home was targeted. PUCL president Kavita Srivastava described the action as a violation of fundamental rights and natural justice, and urged the Rajasthan High Court’s Chief Justice to take suo motu cognizance of the situation. The PUCL also called for temporary housing for the displaced family, compensation for the demolition, and legal action against the officials involved.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) also condemned the incident, accusing the BJP of exploiting the situation for political gain and exacerbating communal tensions. CPI(M) State Secretary and Sikar MP Amra Ram criticized the BJP for using the demolition to stoke communal sentiments.
In response to the unrest, all government and private schools in Udaipur were closed, and mobile internet services were suspended for an additional 24 hours to curb the spread of misinformation and provocative content.
The 15-year-old student injured in the altercation remains in stable condition, with specialist doctors from Jaipur overseeing his care at Maharana Bhupal Government Hospital. The Muslim student accused of the stabbing is detained under the Juvenile Justice Act, and his father has been arrested, though specific charges against him are not yet clear.
The demolition was carried out despite a notice that allowed three days for evacuation. The operation, involving two bulldozers, was conducted by the Forest Department and Udaipur Municipal Corporation. A heavy police presence was deployed to manage the situation as locals gathered and clashed with officials. Municipal officials noted that the family had been renting the house, which included three rooms, a kitchen, and a shop in the basement.
