Even 70 years after independence, the Pardhis, who were categorized as a criminal tribe by British, are not really free, activists and community members are alleging. Pardhi is the only community in Madhya Pradesh which comes under various categories, while other tribes are included in one category. According to the 2001 census, they have been categorised as scheduled tribes, scheduled caste, nomad and even under the general category, depending on the districts they live in. Now however, members of the community are looking to shed it’s ‘criminal’ tag which they say leaves them open to harassment from the authorities. My son is a graduate but he doesn’t have any government job ,” said Nahar Singh, a member of the community.

Source: Hindustan Times August 13, 2017 09:45 UTC