Well, in a show of apparently boundless compassion for individuals suspected to be engaged in communal violence, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in an interesting twist, stepped in to halt the demolition drive in the Nuh district of Haryana. This was in response to recent clashes that had erupted in the city, leading to rampant violence and destruction. Apparently, the concept of accountability is taking a back seat here. [Court on its own motion vs State of Haryana]

In an unprecedented move, a Bench headed by Justice GS Sandhawalia, possibly after a heavy breakfast, took suo motu cognizance of the matter, stepping in to protect the structures housing the alleged participants of the communal clashes.

If you recall, the violence broke out in Nuh district on the balmy evening of July 31 after a mob, high on rumors that cow vigilante Monu Manesar would be participating in a VHP procession, decided it was the perfect time for a small bout of communal unrest.

According to NDTV, when the dust had settled, at least five people had lost their lives, and around 70 were nursing injuries, some of them being policemen. Subsequent to this, the police went on an arrest spree, rounding up over 80 suspects linked to the violence, as per reports.

Not stopping there, the administration decided to tackle the issue head-on. Over a period of four intense days, more than 700 structures — residences, shops, unauthorized constructions in Nuh, many of them suspected to be the dens of those involved in the unrest — were demolished. They were all reportedly erected on government property, perhaps in the misguided belief that this would offer them some form of immunity.

Amidst all this, the Superintendent of Police somehow found the time to announce that 56 FIRs have been filed in relation to the communal violence, and a total of 147 individuals have been arrested.

But let's not forget the communal clashes in Nuh and Gurugram that led to five deaths and at least 70 injuries, including several police officers. Here, a mob in Haryana's Nuh district demonstrated their displeasure at a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession by pelting stones and setting cars on fire. A typical day in the park, you might say.

Since then, security around religious places has been reinforced. Meetings have been held with prominent members of both communities to ensure peace, although one wonders how effective these discussions will be, considering the recent state of affairs.

In all of this chaos, the police managed to register about 40 cases and arrested over 80 people in connection with the communal violence. One might think this a decent start to restoring order, but the Punjab and Haryana High Court seems to believe otherwise. After all, why not protect the buildings of those who disrupt peace? Makes perfect sense, right?

Haryana govt bulldozer drive in riot-hit Nuh

In a severe show of corrective action, or what the Haryana government interestingly calls "ilaaj" (treatment), a massive bulldozer drive was launched in the riot-hit Nuh district. This all unfolded on a Saturday afternoon, the echoes of bulldozers toppling concrete structures added a grim soundtrack to the recent events of communal violence that had emerged in the district on July 31, before spreading like wildfire to Gurgaon and other parts of south Haryana.

On this single Saturday, at least 46 concrete structures, including homes and businesses such as pharmacies and mobile repair stores, along with 39 shanties, were reduced to rubble. This came just a day after state home minister Anil Vij publically endorsed bulldozers as a form of "ilaaj" in an effort to probe and curb the communal violence that had erupted.

The bulldozer drive began in earnest on Thursday, with a zealous first run that saw 150 shanties at a slum in Tauru being torn down. This slum had been home to migrant families for years, but was erased within hours. The following day, Friday, five houses in Nalhar were added to the tally of demolitions.

The driving force behind this bulldozer extravaganza, officially, was to rid the government land of encroachments. Unofficially, officials in Nuh whispered that they had strong indications of these property owners' involvement in the July 31 rioting. These allegations, however, were vehemently denied by the now homeless dwellers of the Tauru slum who were mostly ragpickers.

As Saturday evening fell, the Haryana government pushed the suspension of mobile and dongle internet services, along with bulk SMS, till August 8. This move came with a statement by additional chief secretary (home) TVSN Prasad indicating the situation in Nuh as "critical and tense".

In the period between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, most of the demolitions were carried out in Nalhar, a place that had witnessed major violence on July 31. According to the police records, 56 FIRs related to the riots in Nuh had been registered, and 145 suspects had been apprehended in the district so far.

SDM Ashwani Kumar, on Saturday, asserted that the administration was not indulging in any selective targeting. Instead, it was acting on the basis of reports and credible inputs from different agencies about the involvement of certain property owners in the communal violence. Kumar highlighted that 45 concrete and 15 temporary structures near Shaheed Hassan Khan Mewati Government Hospital in Nalhar were demolished under the supervision of district town and country planning officer.

As the bulldozers tore through Tehsola village of Tauru subdivision, about 19km away, they brought down 25 structures, one of them being made of concrete. The deputy commissioner, Dhirendra Khadgata, took charge from Prashant Panwar on that very day, adding that these illegal structures, ranging from chemist shops to mobile recharge, bike repair, and fruit juice shops, had sprouted up on a 2.5-acre forest department land in front of Nalhar Medical College over the past year.

As the demolition spree continued, the displaced residents were left asking difficult questions. Ishtiyaq Ahmed, a shanty owner near the medical college, questioned where they were supposed to go now, having lived in the area for nearly five years. He shared that most of his neighbors had migrated from nearby villages or from as far as West Bengal and Assam in search of employment. Many expressed their feelings of being unfairly targeted due to their religion, claiming innocence of any crimes.

However, district town planner Vinesh Kumar stated that these residents had been served notices multiple times to vacate the land as these structures were built on government property. Even on Saturday, when the curfew was relaxed between 12pm and 3pm, they were given time to vacate their homes and stores.

On the law enforcement side, SP Narendra Singh Bijarniya disclosed that eight teams were consistently conducting raids to arrest the rioters. Flag marches were being carried out in villages to maintain peace. "Rioters will not be spared. We will only arrest those involved in the violence,” he said, sending a clear message to those disrupting the peace and harmony of the district.

Owaisi slams Haryana govt for bulldozer action in Nuh: ‘Feeling strong by demolishing mud houses?’

It was quite a spectacle when the chief of All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Asaduddin Owaisi, decided to take a crack at the BJP-led Haryana government. This amusing backlash was directed towards the recent bulldozer actions in Nuh district, which followed communal clashes. One could almost picture Owaisi, wagging his finger, as he accused the government of a one-sided action against poor Muslims. He was quick to claim that the "real criminals are having a field day", roaming free with nary a worry in the world. It makes one wonder if Owaisi would have us believe that this perceived slight was merely a matter of the government flexing its muscles.

As the AIMIM MP voiced his criticism, the Haryana government was diligently continuing their drive against alleged illegal constructions in Nuh. On a sunny Sunday, the authorities decided to bring down a restaurant-cum-hotel which, apparently, had been a prime spot for the miscreants to lob stones during the recent violent upheavals. That must have been quite a sight, stone pelting while waiting for the main course! Prior to this, on Saturday, over 45 shops in the Nalhar road area had been reduced to rubble by the district administration. These were supposedly built illegally. The poor shops didn't even get a chance to sell their last items!

Sub-divisional magistrate Ashwani Kumar dutifully reported that this action was carried out as per the directives of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Interestingly, he added that some of these shops belonged to those involved in the communal violence. That's a unique business strategy - run a shop by day, instigate violence by night.

Owaisi, meanwhile, wasn't having any of it. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), he loftily quoted the Supreme Court. According to him, the court mandates that any bulldozer action must be preceded by the due process of law, and the building owner must be given a chance to present his point of view. Now, that's a novel concept, a 'bulldozer courtroom', where each building owner pleads the case of their concrete counterparts!

The AIMIM MP lamented that "hundreds of poor families were rendered homeless just on the basis of allegations". He didn't miss the opportunity to add a jab at the Sanghis, accusing them of taking pride in their vandalism. He declared, with a tone that was almost dripping with sarcasm, that this was neither legally correct nor justified by the demands of humanity. Owaisi painted a pitiful picture of Haryana, where, according to him, "only poor Muslims have been targeted and one-sided action is being taken".

Taking his rhetoric a notch higher, he questioned the Khattar government's actions, "The real criminals are roaming freely with guns. The Khattar government has bowed before them. Is it a big deal to consider yourself strong by demolishing mud houses and slums?" At this point, one might be forgiven for imagining Owaisi standing atop one of those bulldozers, brandishing this question like a banner!

In a somewhat comedic twist, outgoing Nuh Deputy Commissioner Prashant Panwar denied that the demolition was linked to the recent violence. But, Haryana home minister Anil Vij had a different take. He later indicated that the demolitions were part of action against those involved in the recent communal clashes. At a press conference in Chandigarh, Vij rather quaintly put it as, "Ilaj mein bulldozer bhi ek karavayi hai (bulldozer is part of the treatment)". Perhaps, Vij was suggesting a new prescription for social unrest, a healthy dose of bulldozer action!