In Madhya Pradesh, village of man at centre of urination row has a Peepli Live moment

Since then, the Congress has tried to chip away at BJP strongholds among the Kol tribe voters in Vindhya Pradesh region, by alleging that Shukla was an associate of Sidhi MLA Kedarnath Shukla — a charge the legislator denied. On July 6, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met Rawat in Bhopal, issued a public apology, and washed his feet.

Since then, Rawat’s home has hosted political leaders cutting across party lines, local activists, tribal leaders and journalists.

More importantly, a hand pump was installed outside his home in just three days, a road cutting across grassfields is being carved out to connect his residence to the main road, and a fresh consignment of bricks has been delivered as revenue officials begin plans to construct a new residence under the PM Awas Yojana.

Sitting outside his old mud-and-brick home painted in white and covered in faded red tiles, Rawat said he is “tired” of all the attention. His phone has been buzzing constantly as he speaks with local district officials, and he has no choice but to oblige when visitors occasionally come looking for a selfie.

“I am tired of all this. My mind is agitated. Only CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan helped me. He gave me money and built my home. Everyone else came for a photo session. Politicians used me. They did not give me anything or help me. I have not gone out for work. I can’t leave my home until I supervise the construction of my new home,” Rawat told The Indian Express.

A class 5 drop out, Rawat works as a labourer, hauling cement packets and iron rods to earn Rs 300 a day. He also worked in Rajasthan and Haryana’s Gurgaon for several years before returning to Karaundi three years ago after his parents died.

At the moment, Rawat’s family has to take permission from security officers —local home guards and district police personnel — before they can step out. Police send out locals to buy essential items for the family, and it’s only recently that Rawat has had a chance to visit the local bank and a temple.

His wife Asha Rawat (35) looks after their three children aged 12, 8 and 3. “My mind is under immense stress because of this incident. I want to lead a normal life. We just want to get on with work and earn a living,” she said.

Local revenue officials said an assistance of Rs 1.5 lakh has been provided for the construction of his home along with Rs 5 lakh sanctioned by the CM.

The majority of residents are employed as daily wagers and agricultural labourers. (Express Photo)

“We are trying to construct his home as soon as possible. The administration has set a target of three months, but with the monsoons, that may be delayed. We are also constructing a road next to the home, which will benefit the whole village. We have orders to sit here and supervise until all these projects are complete,” said a revenue officer.

The village, located 627 km from state capital Bhopal, falls under the tribal-dominated Sidhi district and is surrounded by Kaimur, Kehejua and Ranimunda hills. The district is the birthplace of Birbal, advisor to the Mughal emperor Akbar.

According to the district census handbook, Karaundi is located in an area of 147 hectares and has over 800 people, of which 30 percent are from the Scheduled Tribes, largely the Kol tribe. The majority of residents are employed as daily wagers and agricultural labourers. Over the last three years, the state government has managed to provide electricity and running water to the village.

While the BJP had fared poorly in the 2018 elections in tribal-dominated areas, winning 16 out of 47 ST seats, the party’s grip on the Vindhya Pradesh region, including Sidhi, remained intact. Because of the unwavering support of the Kol tribes, the BJP managed to win 24 of the 30 assembly seats in this region in 2018.

Karaundi village Pradhan Ganga Prasad Sahu told The Indian Express, “Over the past three years, the state government has worked towards providing round the clock electricity and running water to every home. The Kol tribes are some of the biggest beneficiaries of state government schemes. But this incident brought shame to our village. It was because of Pravesh Shukla and his political ambitions.”

Another home, another fate

While a new home is being built for Rawat, a home 2 km away recently met with the opposite fate. Soon after the video went viral, a large part of Pravesh Shukla’s residence was torn down — the pink-coloured home now has gaping holes in the walls, which has forced his family to move elsewhere.

But while Shukla may have earned the ire of the Chief Minister, some are still in his corner. Local Brahmin outfits spearheaded by Pushpendra Mishra, state president of the Akhil Bhartiya Brahman Samaj (ABBS), had earlier announced financial assistance of Rs 51,000 for his family, while some local artists penned a song titled “Mat Todo Ghar Mera”. Shared by local theatre artist Avinash Tiwari, it has gained over 1.2 lakh views on Facebook.

Surveying the damage, Shukla’s father Ramakant said: “Why was my home destroyed ? Why did the government have to make us homeless? What sort of justice is this? I have not gone to visit my son; we are all scared of further action.”

He claimed the family is the “target of political conspiracy”. “We want the police to take action against those who blackmailed my son and made the video viral,” he said.

Shukla is a BBA graduate from Sidhi who went on to do a computer course from Indore before starting a tiffin service, and later switching to politics in 2018. In 2021, he faced a legal case after allegedly getting involved in a fight with a wedding party over playing of music, his family said.

On July 1, Shukla’s family had submitted a missing person complaint at Bahari police station, claiming that he had threatened to commit suicide and left home after being blackmailed over a video.

In their complaint, they blamed three local residents for spreading the video, including two related to Shukla and estranged over a property dispute. All three men have denied their involvement.

Superintendent of Police (Sidhi) Ravindra Verma said the three have also been named as accused in the case and have joined the investigation. He said the three men spread the video, which was shot in 2020, over a brewing political rivalry between in the panchayat elections in January this year.

“This video was shot in 2020. Pravesh and the other accused were all drunk. Rawat, who had also consumed alcohol, was sitting in front of a store. The two knew each other but there was no previous enmity. The video was made viral by his cousins over a rivalry they harboured following the panchayat elections coupled with a land dispute,” Verma told The Indian Express.

After Rawat returned from Bhopal, he had told the local media that he wanted to forgive Shukla for what he did. Sitting at his home, however, he is far less forgiving: “I was put under pressure by the local media to say that. Why would I want to forgive this man? I want the strictest punishment for him.”