In the village of Shukrawasa, tucked deep inside the jungle in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district, a quiet transformation was underway. A group of young professionals – a NEET topper, an MBA graduate, a filmmaker, a dancer, two students, and two journalists – had come together with one goal: to change lives. 

Over five years, they opened a free dispensary, revived the local panchayat, improved sanitation, and helped villagers access education, clean water, electricity and welfare schemes. They taught women to read, held hygiene workshops, and worked with residents to build a ‘model village’ – all with local support.

This group – the How Ought We Live, or HOWL, collective – now finds itself at the centre of a storm. They've faced assault by right-wing groups, accusations of religious conversion, police harassment, media vilification, and the bulldozing of their rural office.

“We’re just ordinary citizens from different walks of life who came together with a simple goal: to help develop a backward, deprived village. Since when did working for rural communities become a crime in this country?” asks filmmaker Pranay Tripathi, who is a member of the collective, all of whose members happen to be Hindu.

Newslaundry spoke to members of the collective and villagers, and also scrutinised police and court documents, to piece together what happened.

A mysterious report

The collective began in February 2021, after journalist Saurabh Banerjee visited Shukrawasa on a camping trip. Moved by the village’s poverty, he assembled a team to help. As their work gained traction, villagers formed a 150-member group – the Parvatpura Panchayat Development Committee – to collaborate with HOWL on issues like health, education and right to dignity.

Both groups have a list of achievements: sanitary pad distribution, implementation of government welfare schemes, campaigning against bonded labour, raising awareness on constitutional rights, pushing for SC/ST villagers to enter village temples, setting up a flour mill, opening a village library, and helping students secure college admissions. 

Then, in May, 2025  two men visited HOWL’s office in Shukrawasa.

Shweta Raghuvanshi, 25, a NEET topper is currently doing her medical internship after an MBBS, said she was present at the time. “Their names were Sanjay Sen and Ambar Nayak. They said they were journalists from a newspaper called Sanjha Lokswami and they wanted to do a ‘positive story’ on us. Those were their exact words,” she said. 

Raghuvanshi added “something about them felt off”, but the collective typically always engaged with the media. “So we spoke to them, showed them around, and gave interviews,” she said. 

Sanjha Lokswami is a newspaper based in Indore. Its biggest claim to fame seems to be a 2019 ‘honey trap’ story (see post below). Its owner Jeetu Soni and his brother have been in the news for criminal cases against him.

On May 28, the Indore-based eveninger tabloid published a story with this provocative headline: “‘Bhediyon’ ka ‘garajta’ dharamantaran Shukrawasa ke jungle mein: Ladke-ladkiyon ki sandigdh gatividhiyan”. Loosely translated, “‘Religious conversion’ by ‘wolves’ in the forests of Shukrawasa: Suspicious activities by boys and girls”. 

The “ground report” made several claims, attributed to “villagers”, without quoting a single villager.

The report claimed that members of HOWL were “teaching Christian religious texts” to villagers and “inciting them” against Hindu gods and goddesses. It also said HOWL’s members hosted “late-night parties”, drank and smoked weed. It hinted at a “Naxalite agenda” and said the collective received foreign funding – a claim that villagers and members said was patently untrue.

“We were shocked,” Raghuvanshi said. “We went to the police to file a complaint against those journalists for spreading fake news. But the police refused, saying they could not act against the journalists as they have press freedom.”

The collective consulted a lawyer on filing a defamation case, but learned they’d have to spend as much as Rs 5 lakh in pursuing the matter legally. “It was beyond our means, so we dropped it,” Raghuvanshi said. “We never imagined this false report would snowball into a major crisis.”

Asked about the lack of clear attribution in his report, Jeetu Soni said it was “based on facts”. “I only publish stories based on facts. This group functions like an NGO and receives funding from foreign countries. The police are currently investigating the source of these funds. Also, a girl from an Indore-based family who joined this group has cut ties with her family. She used to be religious but now doesn’t even acknowledge God and lives with the group in the jungle. This clearly points to religious conversion.”

July 22: Police visit, ‘assault’, devices seized 

By mid-July, the collective had swallowed their distress over the newspaper report, and work was in full swing. They had big plans for Raksha Bandhan and Adivasi Diwas in August, and invited two folk dance troupes from West Bengal to perform. 

On July 22, however, five police vehicles arrived at their office in the village. (When contacted for comment, the police refused to speak to Newslaundry for this story.)

“There were 15-20 personnel including a DSP and two SHOs,” Raghuvanshi claimed. She alleged the police, without asking questions, began “searching” their campus, inspecting books and personal belongings.

“An officer began flipping through my colleague Tashif’s personal diary,” she recalled. “He protested and the cop turned aggressive. He threatened us with false cases. They said they could plant marjuana or label our agricultural tools as weapons.”

At that point, filmmaker Pranay Tripathi asked the police if they had a warrant. 

“They began beating Pranay,” Raghuvanshi alleged. “Then they assaulted Tashiv, Yuvraj and Brijendra. They kept shouting that they could frame us for anything, even for our books. And not even banned ones, books like The Mother by Maxim Gorky, works by Khalil Gibrain, a book by Imran Khan, Kitne Pakistan by Kamleshwar and a few others.”

The collective told Newslaundry that four of its members – Pranay Tripathi, Tashiv Patel, Yuvraj Chauhan and Brijendra Chauhan – were taken to Barotha police station at about 2 pm. They were allegedly kept there the entire day and released by 11.30 pm. 

All four recorded statements at the station, copies of which were obtained by Newslaundry – it’s not clear if an FIR had been filed. The statements alleged assault and claimed the police took their phones, laptops and other belongings. They alleged that the police forced them to unlock their phones and share passwords, and that officers combed through their photos, albums and WhatsApp messages. 

July 23: Complaint by ‘attacker’

The next day, July 23, the police investigation into “suspicious” activities was reported on by several outfits, such as Dainik Bhaskar and Zee News. The version of HOWL members was not included in any of these reports.

The same day, a Shukrawasa resident named Nilesh Patel went to Barotha police station with a group of 30-odd men, including members of Hindutva outfits. According to HOWL collective member Pranay Tripathi, Patel is a member of the dominant community and had previously tried to “attack” members of the collective. 

Newslaundry has copies of two FIRs registered from 2023 to 2025 that mention alleged instances of Patel harassing and assaulting members of HOWL. Patel refused to comment on the issue.

For example, on May 18, 2023, Patel and “150 armed men” had visited HOWL’s office at 3.30 am. An FIR was registered but the collective alleges the police did little to investigate, apart from “interrogating” members of HOWL. In May this year, Patel allegedly visited the office at 1 am, “drunk and threatening us to leave the village”. Another FIR was filed. In May 2023, the collective also wrote to Sampat Upadhyay, the then SP of Dewas, alleging that people were spreading rumours about the collective being engaged in “religious conversion”, running a “kidney racket”, and “terrorism”. 

Gehlot did not respond to Newslaundry’s requests for comment. 

But back to July 23.

During Patel’s police station visit that day, he filed a complaint accusing the collective of engaging in religious conversion. They also submitted a letter to the district collector to stop “conversion activities”. 

But why were Patel and co. targeting HOWL?

Tripathi claimed it might be because HOWL and PPDC backed a Bhil tribal woman during the panchayat elections in 2022. 

“Though she didn’t win, she got significant votes and the dominant caste candidate, who was in power for over a decade, was defeated,” he claimed. “Since then, we’ve been on Nilesh Patel’s radar. Rumours against us have been circulating since 2023, when right-wing groups first began questioning our presence.”

On July 23, a team from the state forest department visited HOWL’s office. Members told Newslaundry this team “took photographs”. After they left, another team arrived from the Dewas police’s intelligence unit for an inquiry. The third set of visitors was local media personnel who wanted to interview locals on this purported “religious conversion” taking place. 

To address these rumours, HOWL founder Saurabh Banerjee decided to organise a press conference the following day. 

July 24: Press conference, assault, SP’s office, arrest  

Banerjee’s press conference was scheduled for 11.30 am on July 24 at the Indore Press Club premises at MG Road. Before he could speak, Banerjee and seven others were assaulted by Hindutva activists, in full view of journalists and police officials. 

Nishita Gaur, a member of HOWL, told Newslaundry that she and others “rushed to a local newspaper office to seek safety”. This was the office of Indore Samachar, located about 3 km from the press club. 

“We decided to file a complaint about the incident. Some of us stayed back at Indore Samachar, others went to get medical aid and file an FIR,” she said. 

Gaur was among five people who headed towards Central Kotwali police station in Indore. She alleged they were “intercepted on our way” by the Dewas police, who “insisted we accompany them to the SP’s office in Dewas”. The police then allegedly changed tacks and asked them to first return to the Indore Samachar office to pick up the rest of the group. 

The entire group – members of HOWL and PPDC, police – returned to the newspaper office. “Suddenly, a large mob of right-wing activists in saffron scarves and mufflers arrived,” claimed Gaur. “They stormed the premises, dragged us out, hurled chairs, and blackened the faces of our members.” 

Gaur claimed, “The police stood by, watching silently. Instead of stopping the attackers, they began pushing us into their vehicles while the mob kept up the assault.” 

A total of eight people were then taken to the SP’s office in Dewas. Sources said that the police recorded two statements at the SP’s office – one by Shweta Raghuvanshi, the other by Gaur. No complaints were accepted. At 9.30 pm, everyone except Banerjee was released – he was eventually arrested on July 26 and an FIR was filed against him on charges of religious conversion based on a complaint from villager Sachin Bamania. 

HOWL’s Tashiv Patel claimed the complaint reads like a “script meant to provoke outrage”. “It bizarrely claims that Banerjee took offence when the complainant greeted him with ‘Ram-Ram’, allegedly responding with statements like, ‘What is this Ram-Ram? Ram and Sita were brother and sister, not gods. Hindu gods are just stones, there’s no point praying to them.” 

Villagers defend activists

Raghuvanshi claimed, “We ourselves are Hindus. It’s absurd to claim we are trying to convert anyone to Christianity…Their real aim is to disrupt our work and silence the growing voices demanding justice and rights.”

When Newslaundry spoke to several villagers of Shukrawasa about the allegations, they unanimously dismissed the claims as baseless and false

Ramchandra, 60, a resident of Shukrawasa village, said, “That sir (Saurabh Banerjee) did remarkable work in our village. He and his friends helped everyone. They taught children, women, and anyone who couldn’t read or write. He was such a kind man that whoever went to him, he never turned them away. He even arranged pensions for widows who were denied government benefits. He opened a free dispensary for us and raised issues like water, roads, and sanitation. He made people aware of their rights and worked to improve the village. Not once did he ever talk about religion or conversion. Some people are jealous of his work and have framed him in this false case. They want him out of the village because they’re afraid he’ll educate people and once that happens, villagers will begin to question local politicians. That’s what they fear.”

Devraj Rawat, another villager, said, “Out of the 1,000 people in our village, nearly 700 stand with him (Banerjee). The ones opposing him are those who want to keep poor villagers as cheap labourers. Some even complained to the media that, because of Saurabh, they’re struggling to find daily-wage workers. But if someone is helping us find better jobs and income sources, why would we keep working as labourers for just Rs 200-300 a day?”

Ravi Rawat, 28, another resident of Shukrawasa, said, “He and his team were dedicated to the development of our village. He helped implement government schemes properly, got children admitted to schools, and even taught them himself.”

Hari Singh Rawat, 47, a resident of Shukrawasa, said, “You tell me, what personal gain could he possibly have by working in a remote village like Shukrawasa? He chose to help us despite all odds, despite his team being attacked by goons…But instead of recognising this, the media framed him. They never spoke to us villagers and published false stories about religious conversion, just to serve the agenda of their masters.”

Several villagers from the tribal Bhil community submitted a memorandum to the Dewas Collector in support of Banerjee and his team. They clearly stated that the HOWL group never engaged in religious conversion or land grabbing, as falsely reported by some media. 

When Newslaundry reached out to Ajay Gujjar, SHO of Barotha police station, about the arrest of Saurabh Banerjee, he said, “We received an FIR stating that he had hurt religious sentiments, and we arrested him under the relevant sections.” However, when questioned about detaining Banerjee on July 24 and filing the FIR two days later, while officially showing his arrest only after the FIR was filed, Gujjar declined to respond, saying, “I don’t know who you are, so I am not liable to answer your question.”

On Monday morning, the Dewas police and administration bulldozed the campus of the HOWL group – a space its members had built with their own hands. Kamla Bai, a local who witnessed the demolition, claimed the police allegedly threatened Devraj Rawat, a member of the Parvatpura Panchayat Development Coordination Committee, and forcibly obtained his signature on a document claiming the group had encroached on his land.

“The people from HOWL had worked so hard to build that place. Devraj had given them permission to use his land. But the police detained him, took away his phone, and forced him to sign papers…saying the group had encroached. He told me himself last night,” she alleged.

When Newslaundry spoke to Devraj two days before the demolition, he had categorically denied any religious conversion and said he had willingly allowed the group to build their campus on his land for the betterment of the village.

Newslaundry has reached out to Dewas SP Puneet Gehlot and the district collector for comment. This report will be updated if they respond.

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