1,200 suspicious ‘Banjara Muslims’ identified in Jabalpur district:No permanent residence, yet have PAN, Aadhaar voter ID; alleged Rohingya from Bangladesh

Jabalpur district is witnessing rapid progress in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) work. Former Madhya Pradesh minister and BJP MLA Ajay Vishnoi has raised concerns over more than 1,200 suspicious individuals in the district. These people are allegedly Rohingya and Bangladeshi and have been obtaining official documents illegally. Authorities are taking action, and local Hindu organisations are also pointing out the problem. Investigations are ongoing to ensure these individuals are not foreigners. MLA alerts Chief Minister Ajay Vishnoi sent a letter to Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav about the matter. He highlighted that many suspicious individuals are living in the district and may have falsified identity documents. Camps found across district Hindu organisation workers claim that there are 10 camps in urban and rural areas. The residents identify themselves as Banjara Muslims. They have no homes or land but have acquired PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards, domicile certificates, Ayushman cards, and BPL cards. Suspects’ activities Many suspects sell peanuts and other items on footpaths. Young men and women also work as labourers in industrial areas. They frequently change their base using vehicles like two-wheelers and four-wheelers. Police action The police and administration removed some suspects from Hinautia village in Barela. However, they later set up camps near Neemkheda hill. Authorities discovered several hideouts across the district. Investigation findings A Dainik Bhaskar investigation found that suspects possess a laminated voter list from 2003. The list is from neighbouring districts, not Jabalpur. They are trying to register in Jabalpur’s voter list by claiming elderly or deceased people listed as their relatives. In Dharampura village, out of hundreds of people, around 50 successfully registered their names in the voter list. Suspicious documents and mobile phones All identity documents were made in a short period. Suspects do not answer questions about their residence, work, or group size. Their mobile phones have numbers written in digits, such as 77, 102, 999, instead of names. The police are planning to extract call and PSTN data from their mobiles. Local support for suspects Investigations suggest that agents from a local community are helping suspects obtain certificates. A youth, formerly a manager at a Common Service Centre (CSC) operating like MP Online, is also under suspicion. Citizens disturbed Atul Jaiswani, state president of Hindu Seva Parishad, said locals are troubled by these camps. He added that suspects are present across the state. A simultaneous statewide survey is needed to prevent them from fleeing. Proposed special team Jaiswani suggested forming a special team with personnel from Revenue, Police, Health, Women and Child Development departments, and e-governance staff. Biometric checks should be conducted on the spot to verify identities. Administration alert ADM Nathuram Gaur confirmed that police recently removed outsiders from Hinotia village near Barela for encroaching on government land. He assured that action would continue wherever complaints or information are received.