In UP, bulldozers arrive at doorstep to force crime accused to surrender

After his first term was marked by a largescale police crackdown, including the use of bulldozers to allegedly target the houses of those named in records as gangsters, Adityanath was labelled “bulldozer baba” by Opposition parties in the run-up to voting this time.

It’s barely been over a week since he took oath of office again, and already two instances have emerged of bulldozers reaching the houses of accused — both in cases of rape — but this time, to allegedly put pressure on them to surrender.

On Thursday afternoon, the police in Saharanpur district took a bulldozer to the house of two brothers — Amir (19) and Asif (22) — who have been accused of gangraping a minor girl on the pretext of marriage in a case lodged by the alleged victim’s mother on March 25.

The brothers’ father, Sharafat (56), has been booked for allegedly threatening and assaulting the complainant.

At the house of the accused, who are part of the village pradhan’s family, the police allegedly threatened to demolish the building if they did not surrender within 48 hours. Video footage shows a bulldozer demolishing three steps of a staircase outside the house that leads to the first floor, with policemen looking on. The police also warned the neighbours against helping the accused.

“We want to convey to the accused, who come from an influential family, that action will be taken if they remain absconding. The staircase of the house was broken. There is a huge impact of our action on the ground. Before leaving the spot, we announced in public that if anyone was found providing any kind of assistance to the accused, action would also be taken against them too,” said the Station House Officer (SHO) of the local station.

“We also announced that if the accused do not surrender in 48 hours, further legal action will be taken,” the SHO said.

The brothers’ father, however, described the charge as “false”. “We are under tremendous pressure. The case has been lodged on a false charge, and no one is ready to help us. The police are putting pressure and threatening to raze our house if we don’t surrender,” said the father.

Referring to the police move on Thursday, he said: “They made an announcement in the village and later broke three steps of the staircase, which leads to our drawing room. My family and neighbours are terrorised by the police action. We are trying to take the help of legal experts in the rape case.”

When contacted, Additional Superintendent of Police (Saharanpur), Rajesh Kumar said: “The police are taking action against the accused who brutally assaulted the victim. We are making all efforts to arrest them, and raids are being conducted. The victim comes from a poor family and is a minor. The accused are trying to influence the victim and her family.”

Late on Friday, the two brothers were arrested.

Asked about the use of a bulldozer, senior police officers denied that there was any specific instruction to use it in such cases.

When contacted, Additional Director General (Law and Order), Prashant Kumar, said: “Any misuse of such a thing (bulldozer) will be dealt with seriously and action will be taken.”

Last week, the police in Pratapgarh district allegedly deployed a bulldozer to ensure the arrest of a 24-year-old man, who was booked for allegedly raping a woman inside the toilet of a railway station, following a case registered on March 19.

Unable to trace the accused, identified as Shubham Modanwal, the police reached his house near the railway station and allegedly parked a bulldozer nearby. Sources said that “within no time”, the police got information about the accused and arrested him.

“We arrested the accused on March 22,” said the SHO of the local station but denied that a bulldozer was used to threaten the accused’s family.

The latest instances of bulldozers being deployed by the police continues the practice established by the state police after the BJP came to power in 2017. The police had subsequently registered cases against around 15,000 people under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act — and claimed to have seized several properties and demolished houses that were “constructed illegally”.

According to police sources, buildings are usually demolished in this manner after an inquiry is conducted by the district administration, and it is found that necessary clearances were not obtained for construction.

Those whose buildings were targeted include gangsters turned politicians, Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahmed, former BSP MP Dawood Ahmed, absconding criminal Badan Singh Badoo, and Vikas Dubey who was killed in an encounter two years ago.