New Delhi: The Congress denounced what it called "Bulldozer justice" on the families of individuals who are accused of crimes, launching a vicious attack on the BJP regimes on Saturday. The president of the Congress, Mallikarjun Kharge, expressed his indignation on X, accusing the BJP of targeting minorities in the states where it rules and of disregarding the Constitution.
"Demolishing someone's home and rendering their family homeless is both inhumane and unjust. The repeated targeting of minorities in BJP-ruled states is deeply troubling. Such actions have no place in a society governed by the Rule of Law," Kharge wrote, labelling the BJP's approach as "anarchy."
"The Congress Party strongly condemns the BJP state governments for their blatant disregard of the Constitution using bulldozing as a tactic to instil fear among citizens. Anarchy cannot replace natural justice — offences must be adjudicated in courts, not through state-sponsored coercion," he added, IANS reported.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also joined the chorus of criticism, slamming the BJP for punishing the families of the accused before any legal proceedings have taken place.
"If someone is accused of a crime, then only the court can decide his crime and his punishment. But punishing the accused's family as soon as the accusation is made, taking away the roof from over their heads, disobeying the court — this is not justice," Priyanka wrote on X.
She labelled the BJP's actions as "the height of barbarism and injustice," stressing that "there should be a difference between the lawmakers, the lawkeepers, and the lawbreakers."
Stressing that "governments cannot behave like criminals," she said, "Obeying the law, Constitution, democracy and humanity is the minimum condition of governance in a civilised society. One who cannot fulfil his duty can neither do good for the society nor the country. Bulldozer justice is totally unacceptable; it must stop."
The Congress top leaders' objection to 'bulldozer justice' comes on the back of an objectionable statement by Hindu seer Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj and the subsequent protests by the Muslim community in Maharashtra's Nashik, which turned violent, resulting in injuries to policemen and damage to several vehicles.
As the demonstration led to violence, the house of one accused, Shahzad Ali, was demolished while close to 50 people were booked for violence, according to reports.