“Barring cases like theft of crop there were no major offences registered against Pardhis in the last two years and yet they were branded as criminals,” said a commission member. The members also said it did not buy the argument that there were no cases because the police were afraid of Pardhis. The villagers claimed they preferred not to lodge complaints because they were afraid of losing their honour.

Assuming that the Pardhis had been involved in crime, the Commission noted, the administration should have strengthened the force. Villagers and their elected representatives told the Commission that they did not want the Pardhis around and even threatened to kill them if they were allowed to return to Chothai.

The Commission said as much as it wanted the Pardhis to return to Chothai it was aware of the threat to their lives. It would submit a detailed report to the Centre and recommend measures for the MP Government.