Muslims’ shops bulldozed in India

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Authorities in India’s most populous Uttar Pradesh state have demolished a row of small shops in a Muslim-majority area of Ayodhya, intensifying allegations that bulldozers are being used as a tool of collective punishment against Muslims even while legal disputes remain unresolved.

The demolitions took place on Thursday in Adarsh Nagar Panchayat, in Janki Ward, where local residents said police and revenue officials arrived early with heavy machinery and razed shops that had supported families for years. The site lies near Maa Kamakhya Dham, in a zone that has come under heightened administrative scrutiny.

Shop owners said the land is the subject of an ongoing court case, with the next hearing scheduled for Feb. 10. Despite this, they said, the administration proceeded with irreversible action before judicial determination, leaving dozens of families without income.

Former village head Syed Nafisul Hasan Abid said the demolitions disproportionately affected poor Muslim families. He said the move ignored the pending legal process and destroyed livelihoods overnight. Residents echoed the concern, saying they would have complied with any adverse court ruling but were denied due process.

Officials defended the action, saying notices had been issued earlier and that the land was required for a sanctioned development project. The local administration said construction had been delayed due to what it described as encroachment.

Residents rejected that explanation, arguing that the case was still under judicial consideration and that any action should have awaited a court decision. Community members gathered at the site after the demolitions, raising slogans and accusing the state of targeting Muslims under the guise of administrative enforcement.

The episode fits a broader pattern seen across Uttar Pradesh, where demolitions have repeatedly followed communal flashpoints, protests, or accusations involving Muslims. Over the past several years, homes, shops, mosques, and religious schools linked to Muslim communities have been bulldozed, often before trials concluded or appeals were heard.

Legal observers say such actions undermine the rule of law. Lawyers note that when land disputes are actively listed before courts, irreversible steps like demolitions raise serious constitutional concerns, as affected families lose property and livelihoods without adjudication.