British company's bulldozers destroy Palestinian, Kashmiri and Indian Muslim homes

A new report indicates that bulldozers manufactured by a British construction company, chaired by a major Conservative Party donor, have been used to demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, as well as Muslim homes in India and occupied Kashmir. The company, JC Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB), which recently received a Royal Warrant from King Charles earlier this month, is chaired by billionaire Anthony Bamford.

Bamford is a Conservative Party donor and reportedly has close ties with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A report released on January 25 by a coalition of UK civil society groups, as part of the campaign called “JCB: Stop Bulldozing Genocide,” detailed how “Israeli military forces have been filmed using JCB bulldozers to demolish Palestinian homes” since 2006. The report was authored by South Asia Solidarity Group, Nijjor Manush, South Asia Support Palestine, and South Asia Justice Movement.

The report, building upon previous studies, shows that JCB equipment has been used to construct illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. JCB is controlled by the Bamford family trust. Between 2018 and 2022, JCB equipment destroyed at least 767 structures in Palestinian territories, including 262 homes. The report also details how the Indian government “has been using JCB bulldozers to demolish Muslim homes, shops and religious sites across India.”

In April 2022, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson posed with a JCB bulldozer in Gujarat during a visit to India, sparking outrage from human rights groups, just a day after JCB bulldozers had demolished Muslim-owned shops in Delhi. The campaign announced on January 25 that it had filed a complaint with the UK National Contact Point, a government body tasked with promoting OECD guidelines on responsible business conduct, alleging that the manufacturer has failed to address the adverse human rights impacts of its products’ use in India.

In 2024, a report by Amnesty International found that the Narendra Modi government has a “de facto policy of demolishing people’s homes as extrajudicial punishment,” often referred to as “bulldozer justice” by Indian politicians. Researchers estimate that tens of thousands of Muslim families, businesses, and religious sites have been destroyed in the past few years. In 2023, there was a surge in the destruction of revered Islamic heritage sites, with 330 tombs alone being demolished. In January of the same year, the Supreme Court suspended an order to demolish around 4,000 Muslim homes allegedly encroaching on railway land.

JCB machines are the most widely used equipment in demolition operations, often referred to as "jihad control board" bulldozers by Indian nationalist political leaders. The report details how JCB bulldozers have played a key role in demolishing the properties of political figures deemed enemies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Indian-occupied Kashmir. At the report's launch on Saturday, January 25, Indian activist Afreen Fatima, whose home was demolished, said: “The need to address state violence through demolitions and hold JCB accountable is urgent, not only because it reflects corporate responsibility, but also because it reveals a deeply entrenched system of oppression and hatred that makes such violence possible and even celebrated.”

She added: “It is clear from the outset that demolitions are not neutral acts of governance or administration. They are acts of violence, deliberate, punitive and deeply symbolic. They are weapons of terror. They do not just destroy homes, they destroy entire lives, communities and histories.” The “Stop JCB Demolitions” campaign is demanding that JCB end its relationship with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, cease its activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, and commit to “ensuring its products are not used to violate human rights in India and Kashmir through robust monitoring and prevention systems.”

Mukti Shah from the campaign’s coalition organization, South Asia Solidarity Group, stated: “Today’s robber barons are ruthless and unscrupulous multinational corporations like JCB. It cannot enjoy patronage and prestige while allowing its equipment to be used to advance ethnic cleansing projects by the Israeli and Indian states.” Middle East Eye has contacted JCB for comment.