Ali Sahud is a mechanic from India's northern Haryana state. In August 2023, bulldozers thundered through his predemoninantly Muslim neighborhood of the town of Nuh and removed or demolished houses, stalls and kiosks, around 30 shops and a four-storey hotel.
The official reason given was to clear illegal construction. However, the demolitions followed communal violence that had flared up between Hindus and Muslims a month earlier.
In what has been termed " bulldozer justice" in India, Muslims say homes and businesses are being destroyed in the wake of communal conflicts and political dissent under the pretext of illegal construction or encroachment. Many of the incidents have been reported in states governed by the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"My tin shed workshop was destroyed in a flash and it was a tough time for many families here. Nobody was given time, and we were helpless because of a curfew imposed," Sahud told DW.
A similar demolition drive took place in New Delhi's Jahangirpuri area, which is home to a large Muslim population, following communal violence in April 2022.
The demolitions took place on the same street as a mosque and temple complex, days after a clash at the mosque. The BJP-run local civic body claimed the drive was to clear illegal constructions.
"The process of rebuilding lives and livelihoods is painful and nobody can understand what we went through," Fatima Begum, a housewife who lost........