Several properties were demolished in Seoni, Sheopur, Raisen, Jaura and Sahdol in the last 72 hours.
While addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh recently, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had highlighted Yogi Adityanath's "bulldozer" approach to criminals saying the move had turned out to be a successful deterrent against crime in the state. First used as a jibe by the Samajwadi Party, "bulldozer" made it to the election lexicon as the BJP decided to use it as a badge of honour. "Baba (Yogi Adityanath) came with bulldozers and the mafia was buried. Today, mafias like Mukhtar Ansari are afraid that 'Bulldozer Baba' will come," Mr Chouhan had said. Weeks later, dozens of hoardings of Mr Chouhan with a bulldozer in the background have come up in several areas of capital Bhopal calling him "Bulldozer Mama".
The hoardings have been put up by BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma and are captioned, "Bahan-beti ki izzat se jisne kiya khilwar, bulldozer pahachega uske dwar. Beti ki suraksha mein jo banega rora, Mama ka bulldozer banega hathora (Bulldozer will reach the doors of anyone who dares to dishonour sisters and daughters. For those who become a hindrance in the security of daughters, Mama's bulldozer will be the hammer)."
These posters have popped up after the administration razed the homes of those accused in recent cases of gang rape, rioting and kidnapping. Several properties were demolished in the Seoni, Sheopur, Raisen, Jaura and Sahdol districts in the last 72 hours.
The houses of Mohsin, Riyaz and Shahbaz, accused of raping a minor girl in Sheopur, were demolished. In Seoni, the houses of Hariram Verma, Rahul Verma, Vikas Singh, Nirpat Verma, and Virendra Verma, accused of raping a college student, were demolished.
After the communal violence in Raisen, some people had allegedly opened fire, killing a tribal youth. More than 50 people were injured in the violence. 14 have been arrested and cases registered against 200 suspects. The Chief Minister on Sunday ordered the demolition of the houses of those accused of instigating the riot.
In Sahdol, the house of gang rape and murder accused Abdul Shadab was demolished. In Jawra, the local administration demolished the house of kidnapping accused Bhuru, Zaharuddin and Umar Khan.
Opposition Congress has slammed the move, accusing the BJP government of indulging in theatrics to avoid accountability. Congress spokesperson KK Mishra said, "BJP is ruling for the past 15 years, still they are misleading people in the name of bulldozers. The government should do something to prevent these heinous crimes that are being committed against women and children every day. I feel Mama is now treading the path of Yogi (Adityanath) to save himself."
The BJP has stressed that the move is meant to serve as a deterrent for criminals. The party's MLA Rameshwar Sharma said, "The intention of Shivraj Singh Chouhan is clear. He won't tolerate any criminal activities in the state and wants to provide full security to the women in MP. Mama will run bulldozer on the criminals."
The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report says Madhya Pradesh ranks third, after Rajasthan and UP, in cases of rape. With 2,339 cases, the official data says that on average six women are raped every day in the state.
In 2020, women registered 25,640 cases related to different crimes in the state. Despite this, the joint bench of the members of the Women's Commission has not even met since January 2019 to hear the complaints of the women received by the commission. On average, 3,000 complaints come to the commission every year. More than 15,000 applications are still pending with the commission.
In March 2020, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government scrapped the appointment of Congress leader Shobha Oza as the chairperson of MP Women's Commission with immediate effect, and now the matter is pending before the High Court.