Human rights organizations note that the victims of this campaign have one thing in common: they are Muslims.

After two nights in police custody, Somaiya Fatima, a 19-year-old Indian woman, was released just in time to see, in live footage, her childhood home being destroyed by a bulldozer. Many homes and businesses have suffered the same fate this year in India, as part of a campaign by the authorities to combat illegal construction and other criminal activities.

But human rights organizations condemn this “bulldozer justice”, which they consider an illegal collective punishment carried out by the government. They note that the victims of this campaign all have something in common. “We are Muslims, that’s why we were targeted,” Somaiya Fatima told AFP.

The young woman and her entire family were arrested after her father was accused of organizing a large demonstration last month in Allahabad, in the north of the country. Several other demonstrations have been held on Friday across the country to protest provocative comments by a spokesman for the Bharatiya Janata (BJP), the ruling Hindu nationalist party, about the Prophet Muhammad, which have sparked outrage across the Muslim world.

He saw his house being destroyed in person

Released on Sunday, Fatima was resting in a family member’s living room when, on her phone, she saw her house being demolished live on her YouTube channel. According to him, this is a signal for Muslims who are tempted to criticize the Indian government. “They instill fear throughout society,” he said. “Now everyone looks at their house and thinks that if it happened to us, it could happen to them too.”

Uttar Pradesh, the state where Fatima is from, is ruled by Yogi Adityanath. The saffron-robed Hindu monk, considered a potential successor to India’s nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made the bulldozer a symbol of his struggle against what he calls “troublemakers”. Earlier this year, his supporters celebrated his re-election as leader of Uttar Pradesh by marching on diggers. Some even have bulldozer tattoos.

Since then, the “bulldozer policy” has gained a following elsewhere in the country. The demolition campaign escalated at the same pace as religious riots. In April, following violent clashes between Hindus taking part in a procession and Muslims praying during Ramadan, Delhi authorities demolished about 20 Muslim businesses and the facade of a mosque, violating a court order ordering them to stop.

Buildings built without permission

Authorities stated that this vandalism was commonplace, as they only targeted buildings built without a permit. This was disputed by the victims, who also said they lost the legal possibility to challenge the demolition order. Fatima’s house was razed “in front of hundreds of police and hundreds of cameras, without the slightest empathy”, assured AFP KK Rai, one of her father’s lawyers. “This atrocity is unprecedented,” he continued. For critics of the government, the campaign is the latest illustration of the BJP’s discriminatory policies against India’s 200 million Muslims. “They are ideologically committed to second-class Muslims in India, humiliating them socially and destroying their property,” Me Rai said.

According to Amnesty International, the demolition is part of a campaign of selective and “cruel” repression against Indian Muslims who dare to speak out against the discrimination they face. In Uttar Pradesh, many Muslims whose relatives took part in last month’s protests fear their homes are on the list for the next demolition. “Now we have sleepless nights and restless days,” said Saharanpur resident Mohd Javed, who was ordered to flee his home after his brother was arrested for protesting there.

A week after Fatima’s arrest, a bulldozer remained parked next to the neighborhood police station, where her home once stood. Seeing the rubble reinforces his sense of belonging to the outcast community. He also recalled the stream of approving comments on YouTube during the demolition broadcast. “I was born there, I spent my whole life there,” he said. “But it’s clear that people enjoy seeing other people’s houses razed.”