Activists demand JCB stop lending machines for demolitions in Kashmir, Palestine

New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) A collective against demolitions has demanded British construction manufacturer JCB end its relationship with the Israeli Ministry of Defence, and cease "all activities" in occupied Palestine.

'The Stop JCB Demolitions Campaign,' a coalition of organisations campaigning against demolitions, has also asked the excavator and other big machine manufacturer to ensure that its products are not used for human rights violations in India.

The coalition, which denounced the company over use of its machines in occupied Palestine, Kashmir, and parts of India, said it will hold a public meeting in London on the issue on January 25, the eve of India's Republic Day.

The date also marks one year of the International Court of Justice's provisional ruling on Israel's genocide in Gaza.

At the meeting, a report, 'Stop JCB's Bulldozer Genocide: a report on human rights violations in Palestine, India and Kashmir' will be launched, it said in a statement.

Researcher Afreen Fatima from India, whose home was punitively demolished, community activists Tamara Ezz El-Din Barbar and Sara Maher Fhedat, from East Jerusalem, whose homes and communities face demolition to make way for illegal Israeli settlements, and Peter Frankental from Amnesty International who has researched JCB extensively, will be among the speakers at the event.

The group said it will also file a complaint with the UK National Contact Point, under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct.

It alleges JCB UK failed to address the "adverse human rights" issues resulting from the use of its heavy machinery products in "punitive demolitions" in India.

The report also alleges that bulldozers manufactured by JCB are used to advance settlement expansion in occupied Palestine and the punitive demolition of homes, places of worship, businesses and other institutions in both India and Kashmir.

It quotes an Amnesty International report from February 2024, which investigated 63 of 128 demolitions across Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi between April and June 2022, and confirmed the use of JCB machines in 33 instances.

The report found that all 63 demolitions - of residential buildings, shops, and mosques - were carried out without due process and amounted to forced evictions.

It says in Palestine, JCB operates through its sole dealer, the Israeli company Comasco, which holds contracts with Israel's Ministry of Defence for the same model of JCB machines used in the demolitions and illegal construction of settlements in the West Bank.

It claimed that the Israeli military had been photographed demolishing Palestinian homes with JCB bulldozers.

The report alleges that there has been an increase in the use of JCB bulldozers in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

"The Stop JCB Demolitions Campaign demands JCB must end its relationship with the Israeli Ministry of Defence and cease all activities in occupied Palestine. JCB must commit to ensuring that its products are not used for human rights violations in India and Kashmir through robust monitoring and prevention systems," the statement read.

"This includes making compulsory the use of its existing LiveLink technology to trace and locate JCB machines. JCB's failure to use this technology is a violation of its human rights responsibilities," the collective said.

Mukti Shah from South Asia Solidarity Group said, "JCB cannot continue to enjoy patronage and prestige while it is allowing its equipment to be used to advance the ethnic cleansing projects of Israel and the Indian state." Rehmat Ahmed from the South Asia Justice Campaign said the JCB UK has so far refused to acknowledge and act on its business and human rights responsibilities.

"We believe that the punitive demolitions using JCB machines will continue in the future and an intervention by the OECD's National Contact Point (NCP)for Responsible Business Conduct could be vital in this regard," he said.

The campaign comprises the South Asia Solidarity Group, South Asia Justice Campaign, Nijjor Manush, and South Asians for Palestine. PTI AO VN VN