A large-scale demolition drive has been carried out in Dwarka, Gujarat by the district administration, the forest department and the police, whereby illegal structures situated on more than 20 islands around Dwarka have been demolished for the purposes of safeguarding critical maritime zones. Multiple residences, commercial establishments and religious sites have been razed by administration as a part of this demolition drive on the islands of Beyt Dwarka, Okha and Pirotan. 21 islands in the region have been targeted by this demolition drive, of which seven have been completely cleared.
Constructions such as 250 residences, one dargah, and nine mazars have been demolished. As per the Dwarka Superintendent of Police Nitesh Pandey, the structures were majorly “religious” or “commercial”, as reported by the Indian Express. More than seven islands of the Dwarka district have been freed from the illegal encroachments as part of the ongoing demolition drive in Dwarka.
The Home Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi shared a post on X, announcing the success of the demolition drive. He also shared aerial footage sharing the post demolition status of the cleared lands on the 7 islands that are 100% free from encroachments. He appreciated the coordinated efforts of the administration and the law enforcement authorities in the demolition drive by stating that “The historic bulldozer operation in Devbhumi Dwarka has yielded significant results.”
Targeting of minorities under pretext of removing illegal encroachments
While the demolition drive has proceeded peacefully, there have been concerns that have been raised that the Muslim minority of the region have been targeted unfairly and that the removal of encroachments has not followed the due procedure of law. The Gujarat Minority Coordination Committee wrote a letter to the chief minister Bhupendra Patel, requesting him to stop the “discrimination against the community.” The letter signed by Mujahid Nafees, convener of the Minority Coordination Committee also stated that “there should be no discrimination between Hindus and Muslims in the clearing of encroachments.”
The above allegations have been denied by the Superintendent of Police of Jamnagar, Premsukh Delu, stating that the Pirotan island is very sensitive due to its location. He claimed that “From a national security perspective, this island is critical due to its proximity to the international waters. Production facilities of Reliance Industries, Gujarat State Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited and Nayara Energy are located in Jamnagar, besides air force and navy base stations.” He further added that “There are concerns of narcotics landing here from international waters,” as reported by India Today.
Flouting of Supreme Court guidelines regarding issuance of notice before demolition
Local authorities have emphasized that proper and timely notices were issued before the demolition of the unauthorized constructions was carried out. They have claimed that legal action was only initiated after the expiration of the deadlines.
While the authorities have claimed that the demolition drive has been conducted as per rules and regulations, the locals have contended that the first notice was issued to them on January 3, and the second notice was issued on January 7 for furnishing documents of their properties. Public hearings were conducted on January 8 and 9, and the demolitions began on January 10. They have argued that the given time is very little for people inhabiting these properties for furnishing their documents and presenting their case.
It must be noted that, in 2022, the Supreme Court laid down guidelines with regards to demolition of structures, whereby the Court mandated that no demolition must be carried out without a service of notice, and within time provided by the local municipal laws or a period of 15 days from the date of the service of the said notice. A bench headed by Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan also said that “If the executive takes the role of a judge and orders demolition of a house without following the process of law, it is violative of the rule of law. The state cannot take arbitrary action against the accused or convict without following the due process of law.”
It can be seen here the local authorities have demolished the encroachments without providing proper notice and time for the people to present their case and challenge the demolition or to manage their affairs before the demolition is to take place.
Displaced locals left in distress
While the authorities have claimed that proper notices were issued, multiple locals have stated that they received little to no warning before the demolition took place. People were seen in distress as their homes were being destroyed while they desperately attempted to salvage their belongings.
Multiple critics have also claimed that the real motive behind the demolition drive in Dwarka, Gujarat seems like an attempt to clear out the Muslim community under the garb of environment protection. While the Government has made claims to provide compensation for the displaced families, many locals feel uncertain about their future, as reported by Kashmir Media Service News.
The Social Democratic Party of India has also commended the demolition drive and stated that “no need to say that Muslim places of worship and Muslim monuments are inevitably the target.”
Demolition drive in Dwarka: Part of a larger scale demolitions across Gujarat
In a series of similar actions that started in October, 2022, the demolition drive in Dwarka, Gujarat is the latest. Illegal residences, 9 mosques and shrines in the coastal areas surrounding the Gir Somnath temple in late 2020. In Junagarh, a dargah and a temple encroaching on the government land were demolished in March, 2024. Similar drives followed in Kutch and Porbandar to allegedly free coastal areas of illegal structures and allow the police to regulate unauthorized movement in the region for national security and recent increase in the narcotics trade.
The increase in the frequency of such demolition drives and their supposedly accidental target towards the minority Muslim population raises serious concerns regarding the true intention behind such drives and if they really are for protecting national security and national interests. While the authorities have claimed that the removal of encroachments in Dwarka has been via due process of law, the locals seem to not have been given proper opportunity to present their case and there has been no action on behalf of the Government to rehabilitate or compensate the displaced families and people. These arbitrary actions seriously violate the human rights of the people.
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