Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, arrived in India after "partygate" and swiftly found himself embroiled in another scandal when he jumped atop an excavator at a JCB facility.

Bulldozers, including those manufactured by JCB, have been in the news recently as government officials in several Indian states, including the capital Delhi, used the machines to demolish the homes and businesses of mostly poor Muslims as punishment for allegedly engaging in crimes such as stone-pelting during religious clashes with majority Hindu groups.

Johnson's images atop a JCB bulldozer provoked outrage on social media. They landed him on the front pages of numerous newspapers – a diversion from his two-day visit to the South Asian nation as part of the "Global Britain" initiative.

Amnesty India condemned the British leader's visit to the JCB facility on Twitter, calling it "ignorant." "Boris & Bulldozer," the Indian Express newspaper titled its top page photograph.

Critics have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party – which governs several states where the demolitions occurred – of using bulldozers to intimidate India's Muslim minority and collectively punish families for crimes committed without recourse to the judicial system. Wednesday, India's highest court ordered a halt to one such drive in Delhi.

The administration has disputed that the demolitions are targeted exclusively at Muslims.

Johnson is expected to meet with Modi on Friday to discuss trade and security. He is also anticipated to bring up Russia's conflict in Ukraine, as the United Kingdom attempts to get India to join efforts to isolate Moscow.

The British High Commission in New Delhi made no immediate reaction. Outside of regular business hours in the United Kingdom, an email seeking a response from JCB was not immediately responded to.

Johnson enjoys a cordial relationship with JCB, whose chairman is a notable business Brexit supporter. In 2019, the prime minister delivered an election campaign address at JCB's headquarters, and both JCB and its billionaire chairman Anthony Bamford have contributed to Johnson's campaign.

Johnson landed in India as British MPs debated "partygate" and whether the leader should face the standards committee of Parliament. That follows a police fine for a birthday celebration held during the pandemic, making him the first British prime minister to be found in violation of the law.