The man, identified as Mukesh Prajapat, took these measures after authorities failed to address his grievances, which he has been highlighting for the past 6 to 7 years
A man, wearing a garland of papers around his neck, crawled and rolled to the district collector’s office in Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch to protest and demand action against a village sarpanch for alleged corruption.
The man, identified as Mukesh Prajapat, took these measures after authorities failed to address his grievances, which he has been highlighting for the past 6 to 7 years.
A video that has since gone viral on social media shows Prajapat rolling on the road within the district collectorate premises, adorned with a garland made of papers. He claimed these papers represent complaints of corruption against the sarpanch of his native village, Kankariya.
STORY | MP man rolls on road inside district collectorate to highlight corruption by village sarpanchREAD: https://t.co/DvciwULMla
VIDEO: pic.twitter.com/dNwORYQTGz
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 3, 2024
Following the protest—which also marks the second such incident in the state since July—Neemuch District Collector Himanshu Chandra has directed officials to reopen the investigation into the man’s complaint.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mamta Khede noted that Prajapat had previously submitted a complaint against a sarpanch, and the Panchayat and Rural Development Department had already conducted an inquiry into his allegations.
Khede further stated that a new investigation will be conducted under the district collector’s directive.
The Madhya Pradesh Congress also shared the clip on its official X handle, criticising Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and highlighting the “helplessness” of his government.
“This person who crawled to the public hearing in Neemuch, dragging with him a pile of papers of complaints and evidence @DrMohanYadav51 is showing the helplessness of the government. His name is Mukesh Prajapati who has reached the Collector’s office to seek justice,” the Congress wrote.
नीमच में जनसुनवाई में रेंगते हुए पहुंचने वाला ये शख्स अपने साथ शिकायतों और सुबूतों के कागजों के ढेर को घसीटता हुआ @DrMohanYadav51 सरकार की लाचारी दर्शा रहा है।इनका नाम मुकेश प्रजापति है जो न्याय की गुहार लगाने कलेक्टर कार्यालय पहुँचे है। pic.twitter.com/6Tmzpug5c9
— MP Congress (@INCMP) September 3, 2024
Every Tuesday, public hearings are held at the collector’s office in all districts of the state, where senior officials review grievances and complaints submitted by citizens.
Earlier in July, an elderly farmer rolled on the floor of the collector’s office in Mandsaur district alleging the administration did not address his grievance of land-grabbing.
(With inputs from PTI)
