Demolition spree

THE dreaded bulldozer is not just flattening shanties — it is also trampling on the due process of law and Article 21 that guarantees protection of every citizen’s life and personal liberty. Calling the demolition of dwellings in Prayagraj ‘inhuman and illegal’, the Supreme Court has ordered the city development authority to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to each aggrieved house owner. The court was particularly shocked by a video of an eight-year-old girl clutching her books and running away as a bulldozer razed her hut during an anti-encroachment drive in Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar. These images — which should shake the nation’s conscience — have laid bare the high-handedness and insensitivity of the authorities.

It is apparent that overzealous officials went ahead with the demolitions without granting a “reasonable opportunity” to the alleged encroachers to explain themselves. This shows that the intent was to teach them a lesson rather than to discourage unauthorised construction. UP has been a trailblazer in employing the bulldozer model of “instant justice”. Defending this controversial course of action, CM Yogi Adityanath has said that sometimes people need to be explained things in a ‘language’ they understand. He is alluding to suspected troublemakers, and that too of a certain minority community. The crux of his argument is that such elements will be punished without waiting for courts to declare them guilty or innocent.

In November last year, the apex court had issued a slew of measures in a bid to stop the indiscriminate use of bulldozers, such as alerting the occupants 15 days prior to the demolition. The court had warned that violation of the directions would lead to contempt action against the erring officials and their prosecution, but the situation on the ground has not changed. Making the most of legal loopholes, the authorities continue to ride roughshod over the SC guidelines. A zero-tolerance approach to encroachments on public land is a must. The same yardstick should be applied to illegal demolitions.

Editorials