'I represented India across the world, but here, in my own country, I was treated in this bad manner.'
'Everyone in Prayagraj respects me a lot and it is in this same city that I became homeless.'
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, the Supreme Court came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh government for its 'bulldozer justice'.
The apex court told the UP government to compensate Urdu Professor Ali Ahmed Fatmi Rs 10 lakhs for illegally demolishing his home in Prayagraj in March 2021.
Professor Fatmi lost all the books in his personal collection as the UP government did not give him time to vacate the house before the demolition.
The UP government served him with a demolition notice on March 6, 2021, and the very next day a bulldozer arrived to demolish his home.
Professor Fatmi could not move the court against the demolition as it was a Sunday.
"My wife lost her life in this tragedy. The demolition happened in March and in September my wife passed away. My daughter's home too was demolished and my wife could not take this tragedy," Professor Fatmi tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com after the Supreme Court ruled in his favour.
The Supreme Court ruled against the bulldozer justice meted out to you by the Yogi Adityanath government. Were you hopeful that you would get justice?
I had lost hope when the Allahabad high court did not give me justice, but I am thankful the Supreme Court gave me justice.
The apex court scolded the Uttar Pradesh government for its high-handedness in my case. The court also ordered them to pay me compensation. And this message is good for society.
Can you share with us the loss and suffering that you went through?
I have still not come to terms with the loss that I faced.
I had 50 years of my book collection. I had a library in my home. I had rare book collections which are lost forever. My wife lost her life in this tragedy. The demolition happened in March and in September my wife passed away.
My daughter's home too was demolished and my wife could not take this tragedy.
Which are the rare books that you lost?
I had rare books by (legendary poets) Firaq Gorakhpuri and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. I had special books on the progressive movement in Urdu literature. All has been lost forever.
When you bought the home, did you know it was illegal?
My house was on lease land (from the government) but then, you got to know that the entire area of Rajapur and Allahabad (Prayagraj) is settled on leased land.
When I bought it at that time I didn't notice this lease clause as it was owned by one of my close friends. I built my home there. Later, my daughter too made her house next to my land.
And let me tell you, my issue was nothing to do with lease land but with (gangster) Atiq Ahmed. He had captured some illegal land around my house and I got trapped because of him.
The lease was just an excuse to demolish my home. It was bound to happen and it happened.
The Supreme Court did say that what the UP government did was illegal and inhuman. The compensation money does not matter, but I got justice.
Did you feel you were punished for Atiq Ahmed's crime?
Yes, I got entangled in this controversy unnecessarily because of Atiq Ahmed.
We stayed in a colony where there were 6, 7 homes. On the right and left side of my house was Atiq Ahmed's land. The government acquired those lands; my house was in between his land.
The Prayagraj Development Authority gave us a notice on the evening on March 6. The very next day, on March 7, they demolished my house. It was a Sunday and they did it intentionally so I could not approach the courts.
I have travelled across the world as a professor. I have seen in those developed countries homes are given to professors and writers for their work. And here they are demolishing homes of writers and professors.
Why professors? Even a common man's home must not be demolished for no reason. It is so difficult to build a home and the government ruthlessly demolishes it.
Do you feel the government should have given time to prove your innocence?
You see, they issued the notice to demolish my home on March 1, but they did not serve me the notice. They came to my home on March 6, a Saturday, stating the next day they are coming to demolish my home.
They did it very ruthlessly and inhumanely. This bulldozer culture, where has it come from in UP, I have no idea.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly spoken against the bulldozer culture but still the governments are going on demolishing this and that for no reason.
I am not denying there must be illegal structures, but there are due process and the law which are not being applied.
How long was your lease for?
The lease period was over in 1993. I applied in 1996 for freehold for my land. I have a receipt for it as I paid Rs 14,000 at that time. This receipt was produced in the Supreme Court of India. I was waiting to pay and get freehold for my property, but the government never did anything about it.
Did the government grant any extension for your lease?
No, they just took the money and gave me a receipt for converting my lease land to freehold. They never did anything about it until March 6, when they came with the demolition notice.
What happens to the land now?
I will speak to my lawyer and find out. I have no idea about it at this moment.
I have lost interest in that land now. Even if I get lease land again, what is the point? I don't want to get a notice again.
My heart is broken now. They did this to a writer and a professor. I taught for 40 years at Allahabad University. No respect was given to me and no humanity was shown towards me.
I represented India at different forums, different seminars and lectures across the world but here, in my own country, I was treated in this bad manner.
No pity was shown towards me. This was the biggest pain that I suffered.
Where are you staying now?
When I retired I bought a flat. I have two daughters. I had given one flat to my daughter. ow I am staying in the same house that I gifted my daughter. A flat is a flat and it will never have that bungalow feel which has spacious rooms.
Do you feel you were targeted by the Yogi Adityanath government because you are a Muslim?
I would not say that because two other Hindus were not spared. There was Raju Kharbanda and one Sharmaji, his house was also broken.
This was not a Hindu-Muslim issue, but of the Atiq mafia.
What message would you like to give Yogi Adityanath?
I would only say that he has to keep a check on which citizen is of what category.
No doubt, he must take action against goondas and the mafia but don't harass good citizens in the name of bulldozer justice.
Honest citizens are being harassed in the name of bulldozer justice.
There are professors, engineers and doctors who are being treated like criminals, that is not right.
Everyone in Prayagraj respects me a lot and it is in this same city that I became homeless. This hurts.
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