MP tells cops to put Pardhis,Kanjars under scanner

The meeting attended by officers of 12 districts nearly one-fourth of the state on May 6 decided to keep a strict vigil on the settlements of Pardhis and Kanjars,and prepare a detailed database of criminal elements to be shared with all 50 districts in the state as also with other states.

This meeting between the state government and police officers has alarmed local activists. Ex-chairman of the National Commission for Denotified,Nomadic and Semi-nomadic tribes Bakrishna Renke has said branding communities as criminal is an act of crime itself.

No doubt,some of them indulge in criminal activities,but labelling the entire community as criminals will drive to crime even those who have never violated the law, Renke told The Indian Express. If they are made objects of hatred and forced to live on the edge,they will never assimilate with the society,and probably will take to crime to feed themselves.

Renke alleged that its common for the police to pick up innocent Pardhis when they are under pressure to solve crimes. Anurag Modi of Shramik Adivasi Sangathan said the police never hold such meetings for organised gangs of criminals. He said there had been more than a dozen incidents of serious crimes in Betul district in the last couple of years,but none of them involved a member of the Pardhi community.

Since 2007,when the Pardhis were driven out of their homes in Chothai village in Betul district,they have been moving from one relief camp to another. They have not been allowed to return to their village. The Betul administration has alleged that the tribe members are not ready to work under the employment guarantee scheme,and want to be fed without doing anything.

A senior police officer who attended the meeting said,The Pardhis have a propensity for easy money. Several professional crimes have been traced to the community and they keep moving from one place to another.

Home Minister Umashankar Gupta said a policy that will not be affected by transfers of officers should be chalked out to address the issue. He called for a strong willed joint effort to eradicate the problem.

In addition to dealing firmly with criminal elements,efforts should be made to rehabilitate them and change their mindset,Gupta said.

The government hopes to get cooperation from educated youth in the communities to create awareness about education,he added.

The meeting also suggested that action be taken against people who buy stolen goods from the community.