GUJARAT, INDIA – In a disturbing escalation of state-backed discrimination, authorities in India have demolished over 7,000 homes, most belonging to Muslims, in the Danilimda area of Gujarat. The demolitions were carried out under the pretext of removing “illegal Bangladeshi settlers,” despite residents having lived there for decades.
The sweeping action was accompanied by a heavy police presence, with thousands of officers deployed to oversee the bulldozers that razed entire neighborhoods. Shockingly, Hindu-owned homes located on the same alleged government land were left untouched, laying bare the communal bias behind the so-called “anti-encroachment” operation.
This mass demolition comes on the heels of a similar operation just weeks ago, where 2,000 homes were forcefully evacuated in the same region. That operation followed the Pahalgam militant attack in Kashmir, further fuelling concerns that entire Muslim communities are being punished for crimes they had no part in.
Rather than upholding justice through legal channels, the Indian state appears to be weaponizing urban planning tools against its own citizens. Bulldozers, once symbols of development, are now being used to terrorize and displace Muslim families, some of whom had lived in these homes for generations.
Critics and human rights advocates warn that these demolitions are not about illegal settlements or land use—they are part of a wider pattern of institutionalized Islamophobia, where Muslim identity alone is grounds for collective punishment. As bulldozer politics gain ground, many fear a dangerous precedent is being set—one where communal bias shapes state policy.