Kerala CM Slams Bengaluru Demolitions As ‘Bulldozer Justice’; DK Shivakumar Hits Back | India News
A massive war of words has erupted between the ruling Congress government in Karnaraka and the Left Front in Kerala, which has accused the party of normalising “bulldozer raj”.
The row broke out after the Karnataka government demolished over 200 houses in Bengaluru, leaving hundreds, mostly from the Muslim community, homeless.
The demolitions were carried out by Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) in Fakir Colony and Wasim Layout in Kogilu village at 4 am on December 22, leaving nearly 400 families without shelter as the city witnessed one of the coldest spells in years.
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According to the Karnataka government, the houses were built illegally on government land near a lake adjoining the Urdu Government School. However, residents claimed they received no prior notice and were forcibly evicted by the police, forcing hundreds to spend nights on the streets and under makeshift shelters in the biting cold.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Slams ‘Bulldozer Justice’
Reacting sharply, the Kerala chief minister said the demolition action marked the entry of the “North Indian model of ‘bulldozer justice’” into South India and that the move left an entire population “homeless”.
“The action to demolish Fakir Colony and Wasim Layout, where Muslims have been living for years in Karnataka’s capital, using bulldozers, is extremely shocking and painful. Another version of the aggressively anti-minority politics implemented by the Sangh Parivar in North India has now been witnessed in Karnataka. In the biting cold, an entire population has been forced to flee to the streets,” Vijayan wrote in a post on Facebook on Friday.
Sidda, DK Shivakumar Defends Action, Cites Land Mafia Concerns
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, however, defended the action, saying that there is a clear difference between “bulldozer justice” and the legal removal of illegal encroachments, calling Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s criticism politically motivated and factually flawed.
“There is a fundamental difference between “bulldozer justice” and the lawful removal of illegal encroachments. The criticism being made by Pinarayi Vijayan is politically motivated and reflects a lack of understanding of the factual situation,” he said.
Several people had illegally erected makeshift shelters at the waste-disposal site in the Kogilu Layout near Yelahanka in Bengaluru. It is not a place suitable for human habitation. Despite issuing notices on multiple occasions directing the families to relocate, the residents… https://t.co/dsWrbevkEB — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 27, 2025
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar added that the Congress-led state government does not want to entertain slums that promote land mafia activities.
“Senior leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan should know the issues in Bengaluru. We know our city well, and we don’t want to entertain slums that promote land mafia activities,” India Today quoted the senior Congress leader as saying.
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