Communal tensions flared in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district—where several vehicles were set on fire and markets were closed following the issuance of a prohibitory order after a Muslim schoolboy allegedly stabbed his Hindu classmate, leading to communal violence.
On August 17, 2024, a house owned by Rashid Khan, a 60-year-old autorickshaw driver in Udaipur’s Khanjipeer locality, was demolished by the Udaipur district administration and the Rajasthan Forest Department.
The incident that led to the demolition occurred on August 16, 2024, when the son of a tenant living in Khan’s house allegedly attacked a classmate with a knife during a dispute at school, The Wire reported.
The injured student, who belonged to the Hindu community, was immediately taken to the hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. The stabbing incident quickly escalated into a communal issue, with Hindu outfits staging protests, setting fire to vehicles, and closing markets in Udaipur.
As tensions mounted, calls for ‘bulldozer action’—a term that has gained notoriety for its association with demolishing properties linked to alleged criminals—grew louder. Public representatives, including a local BJP MLA, supported the demand for using bulldozers to "teach a lesson" to those involved in criminal activities.
On the same day as the stabbing incident, the office of the Regional Forest Officer, Udaipur West, issued a notice addressed to the father of the accused minor. The notice claimed that the house was constructed on protected forest land, making it an illegal structure under the Rajasthan Forest Act, 1953, and the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956.
The notice demanded the voluntary removal of the encroachment by August 20, 2024, warning that failure to comply would result in the removal of the structure by the authorities.
Despite the notice giving a deadline of August 20, bulldozers arrived at the property on August 17, demolishing the house on the grounds of illegal construction. Rashid Khan, who was unaware of the notice until the day of the demolition, questioned why the notice had been addressed to his tenant rather than to him, the property owner.
Khan expressed frustration that the demolition took place on a day when most government offices were closed due to a holiday, making it difficult for him to seek clarification or challenge the decision.
Khan had repaid the loan he took to purchase the house in 2022 and held a valid sale agreement with the previous owner. The agreement included a clause stating that if the colony were legalized in the future, Khan would be entitled to have the plot issued in his name as the owner. However, Khan's attempts to address the situation with the authorities were unsuccessful, and the demolition proceeded without delay.
The demolition has left Khan and his tenants, including a family from Bihar's Araria district, homeless. The tenants, who had been paying rent to Khan, are now struggling to find new accommodation. The loss of belongings during the demolition has further exacerbated their difficulties.
While the Udaipur district administration maintained that the demolition was carried out legally and with proper notice, activists have condemned the action as selective and unjust. They argue that the demolition was a disproportionate response to the crime committed by the tenant’s son and question why other houses in the area, also allegedly built on forest land, have not faced similar actions.