Budhni Bureau. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday walked into a protest dharna at Kosmi village in his Budhni assembly segment, where the forest department and the district administration had demolished the homes of tribal families in an anti-encroachment drive. Meeting the affected families at the site, Chouhan warned of strict action against the officers responsible. The development is politically significant: Madhya Pradesh has a BJP government — a Union Minister publicly taking on officials of his own party’s government has set political circles abuzz.
What happened at Kosmi
According to sources, the homes of around 12 Barela tribal families were razed on Sunday, 11 October 2026, in Kosmi village of Sehore district’s Budhni assembly segment, during a joint anti-encroachment operation by the Forest Development Corporation and the district administration. Reports say standing maize and arhar (pigeon pea) crops were crushed under tractors during the drive, and drinking-water wells were filled with mud. Villagers sat on a dharna to protest the demolitions.
Chouhan reaches the spot: “Injustice has crossed all limits”
On learning of the incident, Shivraj Singh Chouhan rushed to Kosmi. He inspected the demolished houses, spoke to the affected families, and briefly joined the villagers sitting on dharna. As per information received from sources, Chouhan said that “injustice has crossed all limits” and that the officers responsible for the action must face strict punishment. He made it clear that such treatment of poor tribal families would not be tolerated.
Call to Chief Secretary, state BJP chief informed
Chouhan phoned Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Ashok Varnwal from the spot and conveyed his displeasure over the entire matter. He also briefed state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal on the situation. According to sources, neither the district Collector nor the Superintendent of Police had reached the village at the time of reporting, though administrative activity picked up sharply once news of the Union Minister’s arrival spread.
Assurance to the homeless: temporary shelter, new houses
Chouhan assured the displaced families that he would discuss the matter with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and that the victims would get justice. Temporary shelter will be arranged immediately for the homeless families, he said, and new houses will be built for them. The villagers narrated their ordeal before the Union Minister and repeated their demand for action against the officials involved in the drive.
He had stopped such a drive once before
According to Chouhan’s office, the forest department had attempted a similar drive in Kosmi a few months earlier. Chouhan had then spoken to the officials and asked them not to demolish the houses, after which the operation was halted. Despite that intervention, the drive was carried out again on 11 October — the repeated defiance is what angered him into reaching the dharna site on Sunday.
Administration’s version still awaited
The forest department and the district administration have not issued any official statement on the drive so far. Questions over the scope of the anti-encroachment operation, the notice process and the rehabilitation of the affected will get clearer once the administration’s side is on record.
Budhni — Chouhan’s stronghold
Notably, Budhni is the very assembly segment Chouhan represented for years as an MLA, and his political identity as Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Minister is inseparable from this region. The razing of tribal families’ homes in his own bastion — and his sharp reaction to it — is being read politically as well. All eyes are now on what action follows in the matter.
