It takes years, if not decades, of nurturing, unwavering monitoring, and immense passion to transform a sapling into a tree. An emotion takes root in the heart of the person, almost the same bonding between parents and their children. In Chhattisgarh’s Sarragondi village, Devla Bai Patel, aged over 90, was seen in a video clutching a dead Peepal tree, crying inconsolably. She had planted the sapling over two decades ago. As the clip of the shattered woman went viral on social media, garnering national attention, the villagers and the local MLA, in an attempt to make up for her loss, handed her two new saplings as a mark of respect. She planted them, embarking on another journey of looking after them and someday being thrilled by their magnificent foliage. For cutting the tree, police have arrested two persons — identified as Imran Memon and Prakash Kosre — and booked under BNS sections 298 (injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender). Also, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act was invoked. They have been remanded in judicial custody. After coming across the video, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju shared it on X and wrote: “This is such a heart-wrenching scene! An elderly woman weeps bitterly after the Peepal tree she planted 20 years ago was cut down. I'm told this occurred in State of Chhattisgarh. #EkPedMaaKeNaam." Patel, a widow, lives with her children and grandchildren. Around 2 km from her house, she had planted the sapling on government land along a road on the outskirts of their village in Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district. Villagers would come to the tree, tie threads and seek blessings. A statue of Ghoda Dev was also installed near it. On October 6, they were heart-broken and furious to find the tree in two pieces. As over a hundred agitated people gathered at the spot, a police team rushed to the spot. Based on a complaint by a villager Pramod Patel, the arrests were made. Ramavtar Sahu, a resident, told The Indian Express, “That day villagers later performed a ritual at the spot and sought forgiveness from the tree. On October 7, we planted a sapling near the spot through Patelji’s hands and on October 12 (Sunday) our local MLA, Yashoda Verma, planted a Rudraksha sapling at the hands of Patelji.” Mamta Sharma, SDPO, Khairagarh, said, “Memon had recently bought farmland nearby and wanted to remove the tree to make way for a road. He didn’t have permission to cut it. On October 5, he brought labourers to cut it but the villagers opposed. The same night, he cut the tree, which was almost chopped by them earlier in the day.” They dumped the cutter machine in a nearby river, and divers are trying to retrieve it, the SDPO said.
