Bombay HC Pulls Up Police Over 2016 Midnight Demolition of Ambedkar's Buddha Bhushan Printing Press

Key Points

The Bombay High Court on 30 April 2026 strongly criticised the Mumbai Police over its handling of the 2016 demolition of the historic Buddha Bhushan Printing Press in Dadar, founded by Dr BR Ambedkar. The court expressed shock at the “audacity and manner” of the police’s response to the demolition, describing it as “deeply disturbing” and marked by “evident inaction”.

A Division Bench of Justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata delivered the order while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the demolition of the Buddha Bhushan Printing Press and raise allegations of illegal demolition, theft of historical material and police collusion. The petitions included one filed by Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Babasaheb and leader of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.

The Bench sought a response from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner on whether demolitions between midnight and 6 am were standard practice in Mumbai or whether the 2016 demolition was an isolated case. The court said it was “rare, if not unprecedented” for the BMC or any authority to carry out demolitions at this time and criticised the police for failing to intervene despite complaints that an illegal demolition was underway.

The court’s remarks came after it examined an affidavit filed on 28 April 2026 by an assistant commissioner of police. The affidavit broadly denied allegations made in the petitions and attempted to justify police inaction on the ground that complainants lacked requisite documents. The bench described the affidavit as “thoughtless” and contrary to basic legal principles.

The court directed the Mumbai Police Commissioner to personally file a detailed affidavit explaining the police response during the incident and identifying officers who were on duty at Bhoiwada police station that night. It also asked the commissioner to explain whether the intelligence department had received information about the gathering of a mob of around 400 to 500 people at the site in the early hours of 25 June 2016 and what action was taken, if any, to stop the demolition.

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Ambedkar’s Buddha Bhushan Printing Press

Dr Ambedkar had purchased two plots of land in Dadar with his own funds in 1930. In 1945, he established a trust and constructed the Buddha Bhushan Printing Press on one of the plots. Other buildings on the property included Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhavan and Yashodhara Sanganak Kendra.

The press held major historical importance in the Ambedkar movement. It published Ambedkar’s newspapers Bahishkrit Bharat, later renamed Janata and then Prabuddha Bharat, which became key platforms for articulating the rights and political aspirations of Dalits. The publications carried Ambedkar’s writings on untouchability, temple entry, access to water resources and social equality.

The site also reportedly housed the original Heidelberger printing machine purchased by Ambedkar, wooden printing blocks, rare manuscripts, handwritten documents and archival material related to social rights movements from 1910 to 1956.

2016 Demolition of the Buddha Bhushan Printing Press

The dispute over the property intensified because of differences among trustees of the People’s Improvement Trust, which managed the premises. Petitioners alleged that some trustees used a false structural audit report to obtain a demolition notice from the BMC claiming the building was in a dangerous condition.

In the early hours of 25 June 2016, hundreds of people allegedly arrived at the site with bulldozers and earthmovers and demolished large parts of the structure. Anand Ambedkar, Prakash Ambedkar’s brother, reportedly rushed to Bhoiwada police station seeking intervention, but police allegedly refused to act.

The petitions claim that machines, historical documents, the Panchshil flag and Ambedkar’s handwritten papers were damaged or stolen during the demolition.

Following the incident, an FIR was registered against several trustees, including former IAS officer and former State Information Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad and trustee Madhukar Kamble. The trust had defended the demolition, saying the structure was dilapidated and that a new 17-storey Ambedkar Bhavan complex was planned on the site.

The proposed redevelopment project became a major source of controversy in 2016, triggering protests by Ambedkarite groups and members of Ambedkar’s family. While one faction argued that the building was unsafe and redevelopment was necessary, another maintained that the demolition destroyed an irreplaceable historical archive tied to Dalit political history.

Court proceedings related to the site have continued over the past decade, including disputes over trusteeship, ownership of the press building and restoration of damaged portions of the property.

The High Court has now posted the matter for further hearing on 15 June 2026.

[DS]

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