A bulldozer destroying a building. Photo. NewsClick/File Photo.
The Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), in its latest report titled “Forced Evictions in India: 2022 & 2023,” shed light on the ongoing crisis of forced evictions nationwide.
This report, the sixth in a series of annual publications by HLRN on evictions, highlights a significant surge in the number of home demolitions in India between 2022 and 2023, particularly impacting the poor and marginalised populations.
Over this period, more than 150,000 houses were demolished by Indian authorities, resulting in the forceful eviction of over 740.000 people from their homes.
In 2023 alone, at least 515,752 individuals were evicted, marking the highest recorded annual figure in the last seven years. The majority of evictions (58.7%) were conducted under the pretext of “slum” clearance, “encroachment” removal, or “city beautification” initiatives, while other reasons included infrastructure projects (35%), environmental projects (4.7%), and disaster management efforts (0.7%).
The capital, Delhi, witnessed the most incidents of evictions, with approximately 280,000 people evicted in 2023. Court orders played a significant role, resulting in the eviction of over 290,000 persons in both years.
Marginalised groups, comprising at least 31% of affected persons, were disproportionately impacted by forced evictions. Rehabilitation was lacking in most cases, and state authorities often failed to comply with due process requirements, leading to multiple human rights violations. As a result, approximately 17 million people across India continue to live under the threat of eviction and displacement for various reasons.
In its recommendations, the report emphasises the urgent need for action and calls for an immediate moratorium on all evictions. It emphasises the importance of following due process and obtaining consent from affected persons before carrying out any eviction-related activities. Furthermore, the report advocates for providing rehabilitation and alternative accommodation to all displaced families, as well as recognising informal settlements as legitimate housing clusters to prevent stigmatisation and further evictions.
Additionally, it stresses the need to uphold the right to adequate housing and land for both urban and rural communities, urging the implementation of measures to provide security of tenure in accordance with international human rights standards.
