Drug bust becomes headache for Madhya Pradesh govt, Congress says accused is minister’s brother
'The police are doing their job, and criminals who have done wrong, whether they are someone's relative or not, cannot be spared,' the minister, Pratima Bagri, said
Arrests in a drug smuggling case set off a political firestorm in Madhya Pradesh, with the opposition Congress claiming that the main accused is the brother of a state minister, seizing on the scandal to challenge the ruling BJP’s law-and-order credentials.
State Urban Development Minister Pratima Bagri, however, sought to distance herself from the accused, Anil Bagri.
Amil was taken into custody on Monday, following a police raid that allegedly uncovered 46 kilograms of cannabis hidden in rice sacks. The seizure, valued at nearly Rs 9.23 lakh, came from a tin shed adjacent to the residence of alleged distributor Pankaj Singh Baghel in the Rampur Baghelan area.
The breakthrough followed a tip-off that led investigators to what appears to be a broader smuggling operation. “Under questioning, Baghel implicated both Anil Bagri and another suspect, Shailendra Singh, as his suppliers,” said Additional Superintendent of Police Premlal Kurve.
#WATCH | Chhatarpur: On her brother Anil Bagri being arrested in a cannabis smuggling case, Madhya Pradesh Minister Pratima Bagri says, “The police are doing their job, and criminals who have done wrong, whether they are someone’s relative or not, cannot be spared. The police… pic.twitter.com/oeBAhrXdXn
“Pankaj Singh Baghel hid four sacks of cannabis; we got the information and recovered 12 packets weighing 46 kg and estimated to cost Rs 9 lakh. A case was registered under the NDPS Act. He informed us that he got it from Anil Bagri,” Kurve said.
State Congress President Jitu Patwari took to X to attack Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who also serves as Home Minister.
“Is accountability so complex that links to ganja smuggling continue to emerge from a minister’s home, while the Madhya Pradesh Home Minister remains silent?” Patwari wrote. “Is the ‘double engine’ now also a transport model for drug trafficking?”
Responding to the controversy, minister Pratima Bagri said, “The police are doing their job, and criminals who have done wrong, whether they are someone’s relative or not, cannot be spared. The police administration is fully carrying out its duties, and all decisions will be made accordingly. The strictest action will be taken.”
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The scandal comes at a time when the BJP government has positioned itself as tough on crime. Said a senior BJP leader, “Every minister is going through a performance review as talks of cabinet expansion are underway. For Bagri, the coming days will test whether her portfolio survives.”
The Congress made it clear it intends to keep up the pressure in demanding answers about how such activities could flourish with apparent connections to the corridors of power.
Bagri is the Minister of State for Urban Development and Housing and is a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Raigaon constituency (a seat reserved for the SC community) in Satna district. She won her seat in the 2023 elections by defeating Congress candidate Kalpana Varma by 36,060 votes. She is one of the youngest members of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s cabinet, having been appointed as a minister on December 25, 2023.
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
