On 24 September 2021, tribal huts were burnt down by forest officials at Charguwan village in Gaurjhamar forest range under Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh. The forest officials accused the tribals of encroaching forest lands at Charguwan village in Gaurjhamar forest range in Sagar district.
On 24 September, a group of forest officials led by deputy forest ranger Nirbhan Singh reached the village to remove the alleged encroachment and set all huts afire to evict the tribal families. According to tribal victims,the forest officials even gave time to huts’ owners to take away their belongings. Since, the forced eviction of the tribal families constitutes gross human rights violations, IRAC in its petition has asked the National Human Rights Commission to intervene into the matter by directing the state government of Madhya Pradesh to order a judicial inquiry into the incident and submit a report to the Commission within four weeks; by directing the state government of Madhya Pradesh to arrest all the accused forest officials and prosecute them under the relevant sections of the IPC and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989; directing the state government of Madhya Pradesh to issue land pattas to all the tribal families of Charguwan village under the Forest Rights Act; and to direct the government of Madhya Pradesh to pay an interim compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to each of the evicted tribal families whose houses were burnt down.
Photo source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/madhya-pradesh-tribals-huts-set-afire-deputy-ranger-suspended-in-sagar