The quiet dawn in a tribal-majority region of Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, was shattered by the roar of bulldozers in June 2024. Without warning, 14 homes belonging to Muslim families were reduced to rubble. Officials justified the demolitions as part of a crackdown on alleged cow smuggling and beef trading, claiming the discovery of 150 cows. Yet, from all 14 affected families, a shared, agonizing truth emerged: they received no prior notice, no chance to defend themselves, and maintained their complete innocence of any illegal activities.
Among a sea of survivors grappling with the sudden loss of their roofs was Sultana Bi. Her voice, laced with disbelief and raw pain, screamed the sentiments of every family displaced. The destruction, she described, was a “storm of destruction” that descended without mercy, obliterating the existence of her once “happy dwelling.”
The harrowing ordeal for Sultana Bi began not with a knock on her door but with the terrified cries of her neighbors. She had been sleeping peacefully, the silence of the pre-dawn hours undisturbed, until the desperate shouts pierced through her slumber. Rushing outside, a scene of surreal devastation unfolded before her eyes: towering bulldozers were already tearing into the homes of her neighbors, bringing them crashing to the ground. Within what felt like mere moments, the metallic jaws of the bulldozer turned towards her residence. The walls that had cradled people, the roof that had offered shelter from countless storms, the very essence of her life’s asset, crumbled into a heap of unrecognizable debris. “We are left with nothing; they destroyed it all. Where will we go now?” she asked Miles2Smile, giving a hint of pain in her heart.
Her question on loop booked a room in our minds. Devastated and crestfallen we were, but that was not an option for us. We promised to help, but how and when we did not know. On our way back to Delhi, we were continuously pondering her tears.
On reaching our place of work, we turned towards our supporters and team members. With their kind and immediate support, we raised funds to provide for her immediate needs and construction of her house. The smile on her face after receiving the help was priceless. ”I thought we were alone and we would be alone, but no, we are not. You are with us,” she said, with tears of happiness in her eyes.
