Housing Apartheid Reaches Rajasthan: Landlord’s Home Bulldozed After Tenant’s Son’s Mistake Is Given a Communal Color

Jaipur/Bhopal: The still-afresh-elected Bharatiya Janata Party government of Rajasthan has entered a bulldozer justice era taking inspiration and following the pattern of its neighboring states Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Both Hindi Belt states are well-known for their punitive demolition policy, which has rapidly grown in the past few years, especially against Muslims. 

The Rajasthan government in a similar row on August 17 demolished the home of Rashid Khan in Udaipur district because his Muslim tenant’s minor son stabbed his Hindu classmate in a school with a knife. The victim boy who was also a minor succumbed to his injuries due to blood loss on August 19.  

The incident destroyed four families altogether- the family whose son died in the attack, the landlord, his two tenants involving the one whose child attacked the other student. 

Riots, Arson And Police Inaction

Soorajpol police station on August 16 registered an FIR against the minor accused under Section 109 (1) (attempt to murder), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt) of BNS (Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita) and Section 3(2)(v) and 3(2)(va) of SC/ST Act. The boy and his father were also arrested on the day of the incident, however, the Hindutva organizations began giving it a communal colour. 

Soon there was arson, rioting, and burning of vehicles, tyres, and Muslim businesses demanding the bulldozer justice against the accused. Consequently, prohibitory orders and internet shutdowns were imposed. In videos available on the internet, a mob can be heard raising slogans, “Jai Sri Ram, Har Har Mahadev.” They sensationalized the issue, comparing it with Kanhaiya Lal’s brutal murder case in Udaipur, setting a communal narrative of a planned attack. Social media was poured with similar posts. 

There were allegations that the police walked with the rioters instead of stopping them. 

“[The accused] keeps abusing my nephew on caste and mother and sister every day. He attacked him outside the school at around 10.30 when rebuked, due to which he suffered severe injuries on his leg. [The accused] attacked my nephew due to the grudge of reprimanding him,” the FIR reads. 

eNewsroom tried to speak to the complainant and the victim’s uncle Vinod Mochi on a phone call. During the conversation he denied having any information about what happened. The visitors in the background did not allow him to speak and persisted in taking information from police and local media reports. However,  on insistence, Mochi said, “We don’t know what happened between the children. Two boys took [minor victim] to the hospital. I am a heart patient. I don’t know much. People are visiting us. There was no communal or Hindu Muslim issue.” 

The victim was hurt on the thigh. Two students took him to the hospital on a motorcycle. “I took the key from the principal to take the injured to the hospital. Another boy Usman also came along who tied his shirt on the victim’s thigh to stop bleeding,” said Vivek, a student in an interview with local media. 

No Hindu-Muslim Angle: Complainant 

On August 16 (Friday), Rashid Khan received two notices from the Udaipur Municipal Corporation and Regional Forest Officer addressed to Salim Sheikh. 

The Municipal Corporation notice said that he had constructed an illegal building on government land and was instructed to submit explanations within 24 hours, actions would be taken otherwise. At the same time, the Regional Forest Officer’s notice said that the structure was constructed on encroached forest land. They were instructed to remove the structure by 20.08.2024, otherwise, the forest department would evict them from the forest land. However, Khan’s home which he purchased three years back from Shafi Mohammad was turned into rubble the very next day on August 17. 

“I bought this home for 16,50,000 Rupees in 2019 taking a loan from relatives. An amount of 1.5 lac Rupees is yet to be paid and my house is destroyed. I rushed from office to office requesting authorities to prevent the demolition drive as the house belonged to me and not my tenant Saleem Sheikh. I showed them documents of the house but they did not stop saying we have an order from higher authorities. Many of my belongings were taken by the Municipal Corporation. It becomes our possession after action, the authorities had said, stated Khan.  

Human Rights Violation

Legal Researcher Idris Mohammad questioned the legality of the incident saying that demolition has become a new strategy for instant justice driven by unjustified anger and satisfying the majoritarian collective consciousness. It is a violation of human rights, and the courts have remained silent focusing on legal technicalities despite evidence that demolitions are state-sanctioned violence. 

“Rajasthan’s BJP government is merely following the high command attempting to gain popularity by targeting Muslims under the ‘Law of the Day.’ The demolition of a Muslim landlord’s house introduces a new level of ‘Housing Apartheid,’ further marginalizing Muslims who already struggle to find rental housing due to their religious identity. The criminal justice system is deeply flawed, with police often disregarding legal procedures and facing no accountability, even in cases of wrongful prosecution. 

Magistrates frequently overlook legal irregularities by the police. A survey revealed that nearly half of the police force believes Muslims are inclined to commit crimes. How can we expect the police to act without bias when making decisions to prevent crimes? In my opinion, the police force is one of the most communal agencies in the country, largely because they come from the same society we live in. I have yet to see any government program focused on sensitizing the police force,” Mohammad remarked.

The Accused Is Not Allowed To Meet Family 

Shamim Bano, the accused’s mother does dishes for a living while his father is a tempo driver. They have only son and five daughters, and one of them is differently-abled. I cooked him food like usual. “I wanted my son to be educated and hence admitted him to a school. He is just 15 years old and never quarrelled with anybody. I have no idea where he got the money for the knife. We have been living here for 35 years and no such incident happened. We are starving. Nobody wants to have us as a tenant. My son made a mistake and all of us are suffering. It would have been better if I was sent to jail.” rued Shamim in distress. 

Sources said that Bano was only allowed to see her husband briefly on August 24 and the boy and his father were allegedly beaten in custody. 

The Superintendent of Police Yogesh Goyal told eNewsroom, “The child is in detention and his father is also arrested. The investigation is under process.” He refused to make any further comments. 

The Mob Targeted Mosques And Muslim Businesses

In conversation with eNewsroom, a local said that the large mob targeted Muslim businesses and Mosques in the Hathi Pole and Chetak area while the police failed to prevent the violence. “The mob rallied chanting the slogans of “Jai Sri Ram (Glory be to Lord Ram).” They created a ruckus in the presence of police armed with lathis, sticks, and stones using petrol to ablaze the vehicles, and breaking the mirrors of bikes. The Hindutva outfits exaggerated the incident making it communal. Media also played a vital role. Muslims suffered high losses. It was the responsibility of the police to file an FIR against the rioters but they only chose to demolish the home on government orders,” he said.

Neelofar of the Bhim Army said that no one should take law and order into their own hands. There’s a legal process for everything. It would have been better if due procedure was followed. “This is a dictatorship. Instead of investigating the issue, they saw the person was Muslim and demolished his home. The house didn’t even belong to the accused or his father. Even if it was encroachment, proper procedures should have been followed. Punitive demolitions, whether by any state government, are unlawful in India. Holding a father accountable for his son’s crime is against the law. The administration violated legal norms, which is why they’re avoiding questions,” she said.