Bhubaneswar: When hardened criminals ran their dens with impunity in the badlands of Uttar Pradesh, the arrival of Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister in 2017 fundamentally altered the policing narrative.

His government popularised what came to be known as the "bulldozer treatment" – a strategy aimed at degrading the operational capacity of organised criminals by demolishing illegal structures used as safe houses, drug hubs and logistical bases.

Two years after the BJP formed the government in Odisha, a similar policing philosophy is increasingly taking root in the State.

While Odisha's demolitions are officially carried out under anti-encroachment and municipal laws rather than as punitive actions, the visible use of bulldozers against properties linked to gangsters, drug peddlers and habitual offenders has earned comparisons with the Uttar Pradesh model.

Yogi Trend In Odisha

The trend, which initially surfaced in isolated instances after the BJP assumed office in June 2024, gathered momentum through 2025, particularly in Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi's home region and mining belts. July 2026, however, has marked a significant escalation, with two high-profile bulldozer crackdowns within a span of just one week.

The first came on July 9, when authorities in Rourkela demolished illegal houses and alleged drug-trafficking hubs belonging to six accused arrested in the sensational Tofan Bindhani murder case. Police said the structures had served as operational centres for criminal activities and narcotics trade, with the demolition intended to dismantle the network's logistical backbone.

Barely five days later, on Tuesday, the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police, in coordination with the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), launched another high-profile demolition drive targeting the Bunty-Barun gang, one of the capital city's most notorious criminal syndicates.

From Sword Attacks to Organised Crime

The Bunty-Barun gang first came into the spotlight after a series of violent clashes and sword attacks in Bhubaneswar. Police investigations have linked members of the gang to cases involving attempted murder, extortion, criminal intimidation, illegal arms possession, public violence and organised street crime.

According to investigators, the gang allegedly established dominance over pockets of the city through intimidation, using illegal structures and encroachments as meeting points, hideouts and operational bases. Frequent gang rivalries, public display of weapons and violent confrontations had made the group a recurring law-and-order challenge for the Commissionerate Police.

The latest crackdown focused not merely on arresting gang members but on destroying the physical infrastructure that allegedly enabled the syndicate to function.

Why Police Are Turning to Bulldozers

Senior police officials increasingly believe that arrests alone are insufficient to dismantle organised criminal networks. Many habitual offenders quickly secure bail and resume operations from the same localities where they have built logistical support systems over the years.

The bulldozer strategy seeks to alter that equation.

By removing illegally constructed houses, drug storage points, illegal warehouses and encroachments serving as gang headquarters, the police aim to deprive criminal groups of territory, shelter, supply chains and psychological dominance.

Officials describe the approach as a method of "degrading the operational capacity" of organised gangs rather than merely prosecuting individuals. The objective is to increase the cost of criminal activity by ensuring that illegal assets accumulated through crime cannot continue to support future offences.

Equally important is the deterrence factor. Highly visible demolition drives send a message that criminal enterprises built on encroached government land or illegal constructions can be erased overnight, weakening both the financial and symbolic power of gang leaders.

Eighth Major Bulldozer Action Under BJP Government

Tuesday's operation is estimated to be the eighth major bulldozer action targeting criminals, gangsters or drug mafias since the BJP assumed office in Odisha in June 2024.

Among the prominent actions are:

• July 2026: Demolition of illegal properties linked to murder accused and alleged drug traffickers in Rourkela.
• July 2026: Commissionerate Police action against the Bunty-Barun gang in Bhubaneswar.
• June 2026: Demolition of houses belonging to repeat offenders in Barbil.
• June 2026: Removal of illegal structures linked to criminal disputes in Ganjam.
• December 2025: Action against a jailed brown sugar kingpin in Puri.
• September 2025: Demolition of a ganja mafia's illegal residence in Bhubaneswar.
• November 2025: Bulldozer drive against notorious criminals in Barbil.
• Other targeted demolitions linked to organised crime and illegal encroachments after the BJP government's "zero tolerance" policy.

Most of these operations have involved close coordination between the police, municipal bodies and district administrations, with authorities maintaining that demolitions are carried out strictly against illegal constructions and encroachments in accordance with law.

The Bottom Line

The Odisha government appears to be steadily institutionalising a policing model that extends beyond conventional arrests to dismantling the physical ecosystems sustaining organised crime. While the administration insists every demolition follows statutory anti-encroachment provisions, the symbolism is unmistakable.

Much like Uttar Pradesh's widely publicised "bulldozer model", Odisha is increasingly signalling that criminal syndicates risk not only imprisonment but also the loss of their operational infrastructure.

Whether this strategy translates into sustained reductions in gang violence and organised crime will depend on consistent legal enforcement and judicial scrutiny. For now, however, the bulldozer has emerged as one of the most visible symbols of the state's evolving zero-tolerance approach to criminals and drug mafias. 

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