HC orders village-level verification of minister Pratima Bagri’s caste:Inquiry supports identity claims as locals insist they belong to SC community

We have seen since childhood that our community is in Scheduled Caste (SC). Our father and ancestors also used to say the same. All our caste certificates have been made in the SC category. On this basis, my father has been the village sarpanch and pradhan several times. This was stated by Pradeep Bagri, deputy sarpanch of Amdari village, who is related to minister Pratima Bagri through her in-laws’ side. In fact, Madhya Pradesh minister Pratima Bagri is an MLA from the Raigaon Assembly constituency, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC). However, her caste status has come under dispute and the matter is currently pending before the Jabalpur High Court. Recently, the High Court directed the district administration to conduct announcements in villages linked to the minister and invite objections regarding her caste claims. Following this order, announcements are being made in her ancestral village Basudha-Gopalpur, her in-laws’ village Amdari, and Hardua Majhol (where her father owns land). To investigate the issue, a team from Dainik Bhaskar visited these villages and spoke to residents to understand how the Bagri community in Satna district identifies its caste status. “Our community belongs to SC category,” say villagers in Amdari First, the Bhaskar team reached Amdari village in Nagod assembly constituency, about 20 km from Satna. This is the in-laws’ village of minister Pratima Bagri, where around 300 members of the Bagri community live. In the village, 74-year-old Valmiki Patel said, “I was born here. My parents and ancestors were also from this village. Since childhood, we have always seen the Bagri community as part of the Scheduled Caste category, and people also benefit under this classification.” He added that in some regions, people from the Bagri community also write Rajput as their identity, but in their area, people only use ‘Bagri’. We are SC, but deprived of facilities Several families in the village are economically well-off, with some owning 50 acres of land and others up to 100 acres. On the other hand, Ramashray Kol from the same village raised concerns about development and government schemes. He said he himself belongs to the Scheduled Caste category but is economically weak, with insufficient land and limited access to government benefits. Basudha village residents say they have caste certificates The team then reached Basudha village, the ancestral village of former minister Jugal Kishore Bagri and the maternal village of minister Pratima Bagri. Jugal Kishore Bagri was the uncle of Pratima Bagri’s father. At the house of Jugal Kishore Bagri, temple priest Govindlal Shukla said, “I am 65 years old. Since I became aware, I have always seen and heard the Bagri community being classified as SC.” At the village square, Deshraj Bagri said people in the community earn their livelihood through farming and labour. He added that members of the community have SC caste certificates and also work in government jobs on that basis. He further said the controversy surrounding Pratima Bagri appears to be more political in nature. Around 400 to 500 members of the Bagri community live in Basudha village, and marriages usually take place within the community. No daughters are given to or brought from the Rajput community. How the caste dispute began The caste status of Pratima Bagri has been challenged in the Jabalpur High Court through a petition filed by Pradeep Ahirwar, state president of the Congress Scheduled Caste department. According to the petition, in 2003 the High Court had observed that the individual concerned possessed a valid Bagri caste certificate and that the Bagri caste is included in the list of Scheduled Castes in Madhya Pradesh. Therefore, the court itself cannot cancel the certificate. However, it also noted that if the government believes that Rajput Bagri communities from Baghelkhand, Bundelkhand and Mahakaushal should not be included in the SC list, then a constitutional process must be followed, including presidential approval and notification. Petitioner cited the 2007 Gazette Pradeep Ahirwar claims that a 2007 government gazette notification clarified the classification. According to him, it stated that only those belonging to the Bagri community other than the Rajput/Thakur subgroup would be eligible for Scheduled Caste certificates. Petitioner’s demand – Minister should not get SC benefits Ahirwar alleges that Pratima Bagri belongs to the Rajput Bagri subgroup, while the SC-listed Bagri community is different. The petition also claims that during the 1961 and 1971 census, Pratima Bagri’s family did not record themselves under the Scheduled Caste category. It further states that after regional restrictions were removed and the Bagri community of central India was included in the SC list across Madhya Pradesh, some families from Mahakaushal, Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand began availing SC benefits. The petitioner argues that government orders, committee reports and the 2007 gazette clearly state that Rajput Bagri communities from these regions should not receive SC benefits. Minister will have to show original documents Following the High Court order, the state-level scrutiny committee has issued a notice asking her to appear on July 6 with original documents and present her case. Her official response will be recorded before the committee. However, several Bagri community organisations have submitted memorandums in her support, rejecting the allegations. “We have all documents, will present them to committee” Minister Pratima Bagri told Dainik Bhaskar, “We have all the necessary documents, which we will present before the scrutiny committee. After that, the truth will come out.” She said her family has been living in the same village for several generations and that she has knowledge of four to five generations of her ancestry. “We have not come from anywhere else; we are original residents of the same village. Yes, our living standards have improved over time.” She added that some people may feel they are not from the community due to improved economic conditions, but better jobs and positions naturally improve a family’s social and economic status. She said there is no opposition to her community in the village and she will present all documents before the committee.