India demolishes 178 Muslim-owned shops in Gujarat
Authorities call it an encroachment drive, but rights groups say the demolition is collective punishment targeting Muslims after communal violence
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — In yet another case of state-backed retribution against Muslims, authorities in India’s Gujarat state have demolished nearly 200 commercial structures in Bahiyal village of Gandhinagar district, days after communal violence broke out during the Hindu festival of Navratri.
Officials claimed the operation, carried out at dawn on Thursday with nearly 800 police and civic personnel, was part of an “encroachment removal drive.” However, local residents and rights activists describe it as “bulldozer justice” — a politically motivated act aimed at punishing Muslims accused in the clashes rather than following due legal process.
According to Indian media, 186 establishments were marked for demolition, most of them belonging to Muslims whose shops lined two main roads in Bahiyal. Eight structures were spared temporarily after their owners approached the Gujarat High Court, but 178 were razed to the ground by midday.
Officials insist notices had been served in advance, though residents say the timing — less than two weeks after the violence — leaves little doubt about the motive.
The September 24–25 clashes reportedly began after a social media argument between two young men over WhatsApp statuses — one reading “I Love Muhammad,” the other “I Love Mahadev,” a reference to the Hindu deity Shiva.
The dispute spiraled into large-scale violence involving nearly 200 people, with shops set ablaze and dozens injured. Police arrested 61 individuals on charges of rioting, unlawful assembly, and arson.
Two days later, Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, performed a Hindu religious ritual in the area alongside members of one community — a move analysts say reinforced perceptions of state bias.
Officials have denied that the demolition was linked to the violence, insisting the shops were encroachments on public land. Yet, government records show that the survey to identify “illegal” structures began only after the clashes, fueling accusations that the operation was a form of collective punishment.
Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty told reporters that several of those whose shops were demolished were “habitual offenders,” while district administrators said the drive was conducted with “adequate police protection.”
Human rights advocates, however, say the pattern mirrors similar actions in other BJP-ruled states, where Muslim homes and businesses have been bulldozed following communal incidents. The Bahiyal demolitions mark the latest in a string of punitive actions under Gujarat’s Hindu nationalist administration, echoing similar incidents in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Analysts warn that such measures not only violate the principle of equality before law but also entrench a climate of fear among India’s Muslim minority.
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