Govt machinery bulldozes building claiming it madrasa:Constructor Abdul says, ‘My dream shattered, will never open school again, it was for village children’s future’

I don’t want to open a school now. I never thought of opening a school would create such a big controversy. I just wanted to do something better. Now even if everyone agrees, I don’t want to open the school because I don’t want to get entangled in unnecessary issues. While speaking to Bhaskar, Abdul Naeem from Betul’s eyes welled up twice. With teary eyes, he further said, ‘I don’t want to talk about this anymore.’ In Naeem’s voice, one can clearly hear the despair of a broken dream and the pain of being dragged into an unnecessary controversy. Actually, Abdul Naeem, a resident of Dhaba gram panchayat in Betul district, had built a school building using his savings and borrowed money to provide better education to the children of his village. The administration demolished his dream school using a bulldozer. The reasoning given behind this action was that instead of a school, an illegal madrasa was being constructed there. After this action, this issue came into national headlines. Congress and Owaisi’s party AIMIM opposed the action. Meanwhile, the administration is now clarifying that the action was taken by the panchayat. Was a madrasa really being built there? Why was the bulldozer action taken in such a hurry? And what do the villagers think about this whole incident? To find answers to these questions, Bhaskar’s team reached Dhaba Gram Panchayat. Read the report… Classroom numbers outside the rooms, furniture inside
Upon entering Dhaba village, located about 80 kilometers from Betul district headquarters near the Maharashtra border, the atmosphere seems normal, but there is an unspoken silence on the streets. When people were asked about the school on which the bulldozer was run, a villager took us to that place. Among the fields, there stands a new building with about 10-12 rooms, but the three balconies in front of the building have broken and fallen to the ground. One edge of the building is also badly damaged. Outside each room, there are boards from KG to eighth grade, which clearly indicate that this was being prepared as a school. The rooms were locked, but through broken windows one can clearly see the view inside. In each room, tables and chairs for children are neatly arranged and colorful educational charts are hung on the walls. In front of the building is a large ground that was being developed as a playground. Fencing is installed on two sides and a bundle of fencing wire still lies there on the ground. Also, other construction-related materials are scattered around, as if someone had suddenly destroyed everything in an instant. Villagers said – This was not a madrasa, it was our children’s future
When talking to the villagers, a picture emerges exactly opposite to the administration’s claims. Village sarpanch Ramrati Kangale’s husband Madan Kangale says, ‘One day suddenly the SDM and Tehsildar came to the village and started telling us that a madrasa is being built in your village, let’s go see it. They brought us in front of this school and started asking if you people had given NOC for this?’ We said that no NOC was given. So they asked why wasn’t a notice issued? Give notice. Madan Kangale further says that officials were calling it a madrasa, but when we reached the spot, there was no madrasa. It was Naeem bhai’s private land and he was constructing his building, so we didn’t pay attention earlier. School construction work was going on at the site. Collector told us – You demolish the school yourself
Village Deputy Sarpanch Sandeep Uike explains this incident in more detail. He says that on Saturday, January 10, the SDM and Tehsildar suddenly came to the village and talked about the madrasa. They ordered to stop the work. On Sunday evening at 7:30, the Panchayat Secretary handed a notice to Abdul Naeem stating that they should demolish the building themselves by 3 PM on Monday, otherwise bulldozer action would be taken. After this, on January 12, Naeem requested permission for building construction from the panchayat, which the sarpanch also signed. Recalling that day, Sandeep Uike says, ‘On January 13, I, Abdul Naeem and many villagers were going to the Collector’s public hearing, so that we could plead to save the school from being demolished. On the way, panchayat secretary Pawan Tiwari tried to stop us by calling several times. When we didn’t listen, our vehicles were stopped at Kheri police station. We were released exactly at 12:30, when the public hearing time was over. Even after this, we reached the Collector’s office. Village children don’t go outside to study
The pain of the Deputy Sarpanch is clearly reflected in their words. We have been in favor of having a school here from the beginning. Poor people who want to educate their children in private schools won’t have to send them outside. They will save on transportation costs, which can be used to pay the fees. Even today, we want Naim to be given the NOC and the school to restart. Another resident of the village, Dinesh Kumar Uike says, this school was opening for the convenience of our village. We were all happy that our children would get good education in the village itself. Both the fear of sending them outside and the problem of money would be reduced. Every person in the village wanted this school to be built. Don’t know who and why spread this rumor that a madrasa is being built here. Abdul Naeem said – I had thought for children, now everything is over
Hesitating to speak on camera, Abdul Naeem shared his story with a broken heart. He said that he has three children. Due to lack of good education facilities in the village, his wife and children live 25 kilometers away. He can’t even go to meet them every day. That’s when he thought why not open a school in the village itself, so that along with his children, other children of the village can also get good education. He said, “I bought land from my brother in 2023, got it diverted and started building a school. In December of the same year, I had also applied to the MP Board for recognition up to eighth grade. I had no idea that this matter would escalate so much. I spent a lot of money. I had started this work by borrowing from friends and relatives. But now I will not open this school.” Collector said – We didn’t operate the bulldozer, the Panchayat did
When Betul Collector Narendra Suryavanshi was contacted by phone regarding this entire matter, he said that this matter came to his attention on the 13th, when Abdul Naeem came to the collectorate with some people. I am investigating this matter. Whatever facts come forward in the investigation will be shared. He gave a shocking statement on the bulldozer action. He said, the bulldozer action was not taken by him or the SDM. This action was taken by the gram panchayat, who had informed the police and SDM office about it. Neither he nor the SDM were present at the spot. SDM personally present during bulldozer action
This statement by the Collector raises several serious questions. First, if the Panchayat took action, why were the Panchayat representatives (Sarpanch, Up-sarpanch) demanding the Collector to stop the action at the same time? Second, in the video footage available with Bhaskar, SDM Ajit Maravi is clearly visible at the spot, where Sarpanch Ramrati Kangale is asking him to stop the action. In the video, the Sarpanch is saying “We will cancel the notice,” but he was not listened to. When attempts were made to understand the perspective of both the Collector and SDM again regarding the contradiction between this video and the Collector’s statement, no response was received from them. Gram Panchayat Secretary Pawan Tiwari could also not be contacted. Supreme Court’s stance on ‘Bulldozer Justice’
Then Chief Justice BR Gavai had issued an important directive on such actions. He had clarified that What happened in Abdul’s case…