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India: Muslim group takes ‘dangerous bulldozer politics’ to court – Al Jazeera English

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New Delhi, India – A prominent Muslim organisation has filed a plea in India’s top court, urging its intervention as properties of mainly Muslims accused of violence are bulldozed by the authorities in states governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the dangerous politics of bulldozers that have been started to destroy minorities especially Muslims under the guise of crime prevention in BJP-ruled states,” the group’s president, Arshad Madani, tweeted on Monday.

The petition urges the top court to issue directions to the federal and state governments that “no lasting precipitative action be taken against any accused in any criminal proceedings” and that residential buildings not be demolished as a punitive measure.

Last week, authorities in at least two states demolished dozens of homes and shops, almost all of them belonging to Muslims accused of violence during a Hindu festival.

In the central state of Madhya Pradesh, violence broke out during the Ram Navmi festival earlier this month.

Hindu devotees usually take out large processions on the day to celebrate the birth of their god Ram.

However, the processions this year saw saffron-clad Hindu men carrying swords, sticks and pistols as they marched through mainly Muslim neighbourhoods, raising slogans threatening genocide of the community, playing loud music outside mosques, and attacking homes and shops belonging to Muslims.

In some places, stones were pelted, leading to violence between the two communities, as both sides blamed the other for starting it. At least two people died in the clashes.

Protesters hold placards during a vigil against anti-Muslim violence in India, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi [Bilal Kuchay/Al Jazeera]

In Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh, violence erupted after nearly 10 houses and a mosque were set on fire during the Ram Navmi procession, forcing the police to impose a curfew. Violence was also reported from other Indian states during the festival.

A day later, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the “rioters have been identified” while the state’s home minister blamed Muslims for the violence.

“Those who have pelted stones will be punished but along with it they will be made to pay for the losses to both public and private properties,” Chouhan said.

Acting on cue from the top state leader, authorities in Khargone used bulldozers to demolish nearly 50 properties – most of them belonging to Muslims accused of inciting violence.

Similar demolitions were also reported from Modi’s home state of Gujarat following violence on Ram Navmi.

“The Madhya Pradesh government is only demolishing those structures which were erected over government lands. And if anybody feels that the law was violated, they are open to going to court,” BJP politician in Madhya Pradesh, Rajneesh Agarwal, told Al Jazeera on Monday.

But rights groups and legal experts have questioned the legality of the demolitions.

In a statement last week, Amnesty International said the demolitions “amount to collective punishment” of the minority community and called for a “thorough, impartial and transparent investigation” into the matter.

In its petition before the Supreme Court, the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind said the policy of using bulldozers has been “started to destroy minorities, especially Muslims, under the guise of crime prevention in BJP-ruled states”.

“The governments are doing what the courts used to do. It seems the rule of law in India is over now,” a statement released by the Muslim organisation said.

Supreme Court lawyer Vrinda Grover said demolishing the property of a person accused of violence was “totally unconstitutional and illegal”.

“Actually there is no law which permits this kind of demolition. This person [accused] is a suspect at this juncture. The police or the administration is behaving like the judge, jury and the executor and is punishing the person,” she told Al Jazeera.

Majeed Memon, former parliamentarian and top criminal lawyer, agreed.

“Even if assuming that somebody has done some crime of rioting or any other crime, the chief minister or any of the persons from the administration has no right to punish,” he told Al Jazeera.

Memon said an accused should be presented before a court of law. “Ultimately it is the court that will decide the nature and quantum of punishment,” he said.

“This kind of so-called instant justice is similar to mob lynching.”

‘Bulldozer Mama’

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Chouhan is popular in his state as “Mama” (maternal uncle).

Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chief minister of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh [File: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters]

However, he is now being called “Bulldozer Mama” by his supporters – a play on “Bulldozer Baba” that his counterpart Yogi Adityanath is referred to as in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

Adityanath’s government is accused of demolishing dozens of homes and businesses belonging to Muslims in Uttar Pradesh in what activists have called a “selective targeting” of those accused by the police of criminal activities.

“The houses of poor people were burned in Khargone. They should not worry as ‘Mama’ will build their houses. We will recover from those who burned their houses,” Chouhan was quoted as saying by ANI news agency during a rally in state capital Bhopal on Thursday.

Last month, a billboard came up in Bhopal that said: “Anyone who dares fool around with the honour of sisters and daughters, the bulldozer will reach his door. Whoever tries to be a deterrent in the security of daughters, Mama’s bulldozer will be the hammer.”

In its statement, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind called the demolitions a “cruel act”.

“It is noteworthy that the politics of bulldozers is already going on in Uttar Pradesh, but now this nefarious act has started in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh as well,” it said.

New Delhi-based academic and activist Apoorvaanand said there is an “internal competition within the BJP” and its various chief ministers on “who is more virulent than the others”.

“They [masses] want instant justice. This is the base instinct the BJP is appealing to and they are destroying the very idea of law and justice,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This is the end of the rule of law which is most worrisome.”

Kashif Kakvi contributed to this report from Madhya Pradesh, India

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‘Disgraceful:’ N.S. Tory leader slams school’s request that military remove uniform

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.

Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.

A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”

Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.

“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.

In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”

“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”

Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.

Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.

Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.

“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.

“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.

“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.

“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”

“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.

Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.

She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.

Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.

Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Nova Scotia election: Liberals say province’s immigration levels are too high

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.

Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.

“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.

“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”

The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.

In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.

“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”

In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.

“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”

Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.

Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.

“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”

In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.

In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.

“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”

Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.

“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”

The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.

“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.

“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

— With files from Keith Doucette in Halifax

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