Demolition of tribals’ houses in M.P. draws Shivraj’s anger; says ‘Mohan ji became CM with their votes’

Demolition of houses of several tribal families in Madhya Pradesh’s Budhni has prompted Union Agriculture Minister and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to push back against the State’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and say that “the limits of oppression and injustice have been crossed” in his constituency and that his successor Mohan Yadav had become the CM “with their very votes”.

Mr. Yadav said on Monday (October 12, 2026) that the matter had come to his attention and that an inquiry will be conducted into it. 

In a visibly angry address late on Sunday (October 11, 2026), Mr. Chouhan said, “My constituency has witnessed the height of oppression and the extreme limit of injustice. Homes that were thriving until this morning—where the joyful sounds of children once echoed—are now filled with their screams. Women are weeping and beating their chests in anguish. Their homes have been demolished and their crops buried under the rubble. The fruits of their hard labour are crushed, and their wells are filled in. These were homes that had stood for years, yet today, these people have been left destitute and displaced.”

Mr Chouhan, who visited the spot in Sehore district’s Kosmi and met affected families on Sunday night (October 11, 2026), said that after speaking with State Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal and M.P. BJP president Hemant Khandelwal to inform them of the matter, he would also raise it with CM Yadav. He also sought strict action against the officials responsible for the action.

On Sunday (October 11, 2026), houses of about 12 tribal families in Kosmi village were demolished by the Forest Department over alleged encroachment. The department says the houses were built on forest land after a 2021 plantation was destroyed.