There was a time when the Pardi community of Guna district in Madhya Pradesh was known more for its criminal activities than anything else. Members of the community were indulging in robbery, road loot, thefts, etc., from time immemorial, following in the footsteps of their forefathers. Even police hesitated to go to their villages because of aggressive protests by their womenfolk.
However, the same community is now on the path of reformation because of the sustained efforts of the district administration of Guna through their initiative named ‘Aa Ab Laut Chalen’. This special initiative is aimed at reforming the community and wean them away from the path of crime to a life of dignity.
Giving leadership to this reform programme is Mr. Rajiv Kumar Mishra, who is the Superintendent of Police, Guna. Indian Masterminds got in touch with him to know about this trailblazing initiative in detail.
WHO ARE THE PARDIS?
Mr. Rajiv Kumar Mishra informed that members of the Pardi community and one other community called Kanjar were indulging in criminal activities like robbery, road loots, thefts, etc. Even police could not go to their villages because of the stiff resistance from their women.
“When I took charge, I went to Bilakhedi to arrest some men. We arrested them but at the same time tried to start conversation with the people residing there. They interacted with us and told us to arrange resources for employment and education so that the younger generation won’t have to follow the path of their elders for livelihood.”
They expressed concern that just because of 15-20 percent of criminals, the whole community had to bear the stigma of being criminals.
AA AB LAUT CHALE
Mr. Mishra said, “After listening to them, I thought that the good people who want to reform should get a chance and even those who are criminals should also get a chance to leave crimes, go through the judicial process, and join the mainstream.”
There was a time when innocent people also had to go through punishments just because they belonged to the same community.
After much thought and consideration, the ‘Aa Ab Laut Chalen initiative’ was launched by Mr. Mishra. It’s a surrender-and-adoption programme – surrender of all criminals and thereafter adoption of a life of self-respect and dignity, leaving behind the path of crime.
“First of all, we initiated strict action, caught the criminals and released the innocent ones. We told them that if they would cooperate with us, the legal procedure would be flexible for them, and the administration would help their families to access special government facilities like Re 1per kg wheat.”
The initiative brought instant results as in a camp organized on October 27, 2021 in Bilakhedi, around nine criminals surrendered before the administration.
EMPLOYMENT IN REPUTED COMPANIES
One of the main problems faced by the younger generation of the community was that despite being educated, they were deprived of employment as the reputation of their community preceded them. Mr. Rajiv took steps to correct this: “One day, three boys came to me to address this problem. One of them had done B.Tech, one had graduated in computer science and the other was also a graduate in some other stream. They narrated their experiences and told me of their woes. So, I decided to do something about it.”
With the help of the District Collector, Mr. Frank Novel A and Justice Rajesh Kumar Koshtha, SP Mishra organized a camp for educated young people where they got their documents verified and nine of them got placement in prestigious companies like Amazon, Amul, etc. Moreover, the district administration is making special efforts for the education of others.
THE RESULTS
Mr. Mishra informed Indian Masterminds that “the result of our efforts was seen as the whole community pledged not to indulge in any kind of crime in the future. For around 6 to 8 months, there wasn’t a single case of crime.”
However, recently, one case was reported and the involvement of some Pardi was found out. Mr. Mishra said, “When we found their involvement, we were disappointed and told them that what’s the point of our efforts if they don’t want to improve. On hearing this, the whole community became one and the families of those who had stolen were boycotted. They were pressurized to surrender, and the stolen property returned.”
TARGETTING MORE COMMUNITIES
The officer also informed that they are trying to bring more similar communities to the reform table. “There are other communities like Kanjari and Banjara which also have the same tag as the Pardis. These communities are also getting inspired by our efforts and coming to us for support. Our aim is to bring all of them into the mainstream of society.”
