Congress attacks BJP over bulldozer action in BJP-ruled states

The Congress accused the BJP of targeting the Muslim community through bulldozer action in BJP-ruled states after a court acquitted 11 accused in the 2022 Khargone violence case. It demanded compensation for affected families and accountability for officials behind the demolitions

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday accused the BJP of “consistently targeting” the Muslim community through bulldozer action in states ruled by it, calling the practice a gross insult to the rule of law and the Constitution. It said the BJP governments must answer to all those whose homes have been demolished.

The opposition party also demanded adequate compensation for those whose houses have been razed and said officials responsible for the demolition drives must be held accountable.

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The Congress’ attack came after a court in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone last week acquitted 11 people accused in the 2022 Ram Navami violence case, saying the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against them.

Khargone’s Fourth Additional Sessions Judge, Mukesh Nath, acquitted Ibadat Ali, Sadiq Khan, Abdullah Khan, Sahab alias Shahib, Sher Yar, Faisal Khan, Azam Khan, Shabbir Khan, Imran Ali, Mushtaq Ali and Razik Ali of charges including rioting and arson.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that a day after violence erupted during the Ram Navami procession in Khargone in April 2022, the district administration carried out a demolition drive using bulldozers, razing 16 houses and 29 shops across five Muslim-majority areas of the city.

“Narottam Mishra, the then home minister of Madhya Pradesh, had stated, ‘We will turn the very house from which stones were pelted into a heap of stones.’ In July 2026, a Madhya Pradesh Sessions Court acquitted all 11 Muslim men accused in the 2022 Ram Navami violence case,” Ramesh said on X.

The court observed that there was neither credible evidence nor any witnesses against the accused and that no lawful investigation had been conducted, he said.

Despite the court declaring them innocent, the BJP’s brand of “bulldozer justice”, as described by Narottam Mishra, had already been carried out years earlier, the Congress leader said.

Claiming that the Muslim community has consistently been the target of bulldozer actions in BJP-ruled states, Ramesh alleged that such drives have targeted religious sites, educational institutions and private homes.

He said the practice amounted to a gross insult to both the rule of law and the Constitution.

“The BJP government must answer to all those whose homes were demolished. They should be provided with adequate compensation, and the officials responsible for these actions must be held accountable,” Ramesh demanded.