Dr Vedapratap Vaidik

The state administrations in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have adopted a novel method to punish the rioters.  In these three states, the houses, shops or any other building owned by those caught or booked for rioting are pulled down in no time.  Thanks to such demolition exercises, the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has earned the epithet -‘Bulldozer Baba’,  and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan  is being called the ‘Bulldozer Mama’.  The new Chief Minister of Gujarat is also following the same path. All the three chief ministers are from the BJP.  Many more states are having BJP government in power. No wonder if the other BJP chief ministers also follow the same channel to punish the offenders.

 Many Muslim leaders, especially those from the Congress party, are up in arms against this demolition drive of the BJP ruled states. These leaders argue that there is no law existing in the country that permits demolition of buildings of suspected rioters or those who you presume rioters.  It is true and they have a more powerful argument that in all such cases buildings owned by Muslims were demolished.  So they try to depict the governments’ action as communal.

All know that it takes many years to settle a case in the court of law. By the time the case is decided the horrendous memories of the incidents would have vanished from the minds of the public and delayed punishment to the offender will have no impact on the public.  If the houses of those committing heinous offenses like rioting and looting are immediately demolished, it will not only embolden the public against the offenders and offences but no one will dare even to think of committing any callous crimes in future.  To my understanding, only the illegal buildings have been knocked down.

 Most of these rioters are habitual offenders and regular lawbreakers.  What is wrong in punishing such criminals, straight away? Meanwhile, if any legally built house is demolished, by mistake, then the respective government has to own the responsibility to rebuild it and also pay the damages to the aggrieved. Shivraj Chauhan has promised that his government will take note of such incidents and do the needful.  This is a welcome gesture.

However, two questions are coming up on this hasty action.  The first one is why such actions are taken only against Muslim rioters? Should we presume that every riot is being engineered by Muslims and only by Muslims?  Irrespective of which sect, creed or community they belong to the government in power   should treat the rioters with equal intensity. The second question is how could the administration remain mute spectators to the increasing incidents of land grabbing?  There are umpteen instances of powerful and influential people, particularly politicians, encroaching public land and building their houses, bungalows and even multi-storied mansions, brazenly violating the law.  Does this not amount to the inefficiency of the administration?  While the duty conscious and law enforcing administration demolishes houses of the rioters in no time, it does not show the spine even to touch the illegal constructions of these influential people. Will illegal constructions be demolished only when there are riots?

*Dr. Vaidik is a widely travelled scholar-journalist. He has visited more than 80 countries on diplomatic and educationalmissions. Dr. Vaidik has won more than a dozen National and International awards for academic and journalistic excellence. He has been a member of several Advisory Committees of Government of India.