One lakh hectares of forest wiped out in 10:Guna tribal families lose land through ₹1,000 stamp deals; violence follows protests

An organised racket of forest land encroachment and illegal trading has been operating openly for years in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district. The scale of the activity can be understood from three land deals involving 40 bigha, 33 bigha and 12 bigha plots. The method used by the accused is simple. Forest land is first encroached upon and trees are cut down to make the land suitable for cultivation. The land is then sold to other people for lakhs of rupees through fake agreements made on ₹1,000 stamp papers. In three such cases uncovered in the Bamori area, more than 85 bigha of forest land was allegedly sold for over ₹22 lakh. Following the revelations, the Forest Department has started preparations to register an FIR against those involved in the racket. On World Environment Day (June 5), Dainik Bhaskar investigated the entire network, tracing the process from encroachment on forest land to its illegal sale and purchase. The investigation reveals how forest land has been converted into a source of illegal profit while authorities failed to stop the practice for years. 3 Big Cases: Where Government Land Was Sold Rampantly

Case-1: Jhumka Beat – Agreement for 33 Bigha forest land for 10.85 Lakh Jagdish Bhilala encroached upon 33 bigha forest land and cleared the jungle. After this, on February 5, 2023, he sold this land to Premnarayan Banjara for 10.85 lakh rupees through an agreement. Case-2: Rampur Beat – Deal for 12 bigha land for 4 lakh Parsadi Sahariya of Naunera village encroached upon 12 bigha forest land and handed it over to Daulat Banjara for 4 lakh rupees on January 17, 2023. Case-3: Colony Beat – 40 bigha land sold for 7.35 lakh Jagmohan Kirar of Dhanoria village encroached upon 40 bigha government land and sold it to Sunil Meena for 7.35 lakh rupees on May 27, 2025. How does the entire nexus work? Over one lakh hectares of forest land encroached in 10 years According to figures presented in the Forest Department and High Court, over 1 lakh hectares of forest have been cleared in Guna in 10 years. The maximum encroachment has occurred in Bamori, followed by Chanchoda region. Brought tribal family from outside and settled them, then drove them away In Bhaskar’s investigation, an example of how forest land was encroached upon was found in Saretha village. In the 1960s, people from the Patelia community migrated and reached here. They started working as laborers for the influential people of this area. When the Forest Rights Act was implemented, powerful individuals registered land in the name of these tribals. Later, they drove away many such laborers, several of whom are still living in areas like Dumawan, Sarsalaiyya. Arrows and bows were used for land, houses were torched, and murders occurred Case-1: Farmer crushed to death by Thar in 6 bigha land dispute Month- September 2025
Place: Ganeshpura, Fatehgarh In a dispute over six bighas of land in Rajasthan, farmer Ramswaroop Nagar and his family were attacked by 10-15 people. During the assault, a Thar vehicle was driven over Ramswaroop, leading to his death. BJP leader and former Sarpanch Mahendra Nagar was made the main accused in the case. Police registered a case against 14 people and arrested 9 accused. BJP expelled the accused leader. Case-2: Death by arrow in a dispute over forest land Month- September 2025
Place- Chakri-Chhikari village, Bamori A dispute was ongoing between the Bhil-Bhilala communities over the encroachment of forest land. When no agreement was reached in the panchayat, 300-400 people from both sides confronted each other. Arrows and stones were thrown. Gangaram Bhil (55) was hit by an arrow in the chest and died. The situation was so tense that the administration had to set up camp 4 km away from the village. The body could only be removed from the village after 16 hours. A case was registered against 16 named and unknown accused in the matter. Case-3: 10 houses burnt, one dead after land dispute Month- November 2023
Place- Penheti village, Fatehgarh A dispute arose between the Bhil and Banjara communities over forest land. Gal Singh Bhilala of the Bhil community, who was injured in the assault, died during treatment. Following this, in the ensuing violence, 8-10 houses and two tractors belonging to the Banjara community’s settlement were set on fire. The grain stored in the houses also fell victim to the fire. Police were pelted with stones and heavy police force had to be deployed in the village. Case-4: Stone-pelting on police in government land dispute Month- July 2023
Place- Vishnupura, Fatehgarh A dispute arose between two parties over the encroachment of government land. The matter escalated after a woman was assaulted. Thousands of people gathered in front of the administrative team that arrived to remove illegal construction. Police and administration were pelted with stones, and more than 50 vehicles were damaged. Lathi-charge and tear gas had to be used to control the situation. Case-5: Woman burned alive 6 days after getting possession of land Month- July 2022
Place- Dhanoria, Guna After a legal battle of about 20 years, Rampyari Sahariya had received the right to three acres of land. It is alleged that the encroachers assaulted her and set her on fire in a dispute over vacating the land. She died six days later during treatment in Bhopal. Five accused were arrested in the case. After the incident, the victim’s family left the village. The accused were arrested, but it doesn’t seem like those people will return to the village now 70-year-old Jamnalal states that in June 2022, the administration carried out a demarcation process for the land of his nephew Arjun and his wife Rampeyari in Dhanoria village. After a struggle of about 20 years, the Sahariya family got the right to 3 acres of land, but it was already occupied. On July 2, 2022, when Rampeyari went to see the land, some people were driving tractors there. When she protested, she was assaulted and set on fire. Severely burnt Rampeyari was referred from Guna to Bhopal, where she died six days later. Jamnalal says that after the incident, Rampeyari’s family left the village due to fear. He says, “The accused were arrested, but I don’t think Arjun and his family will ever be able to return to the village now.” DFO says – FIR being prepared against the identified people Guna DFO Akshay Rathore says- We have identified some encroachers and buyers. A letter has been written to file an FIR against them. The Collector and SP have been informed about this serious matter. Soon, the task force will take strict action on this.