A bribery video from Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district has triggered outrage after it showed patwari Virendra Tiwari, posted in the Sirsa area under Managawan tehsil, accepting cash from a woman. The clip surfaced on Saturday, and soon after, district collector Narendra Suryavanshi ordered a formal inquiry into the matter.
What the video shows
In the footage, Tiwari is seen taking currency notes directly from the woman's hand. Once the money changes hands, he assures her that her pending work will be completed and asks her to submit a formal application. The payment is believed to have been demanded in exchange for processing a land nomination entry.
'I borrowed money to pay you', woman says in the clip
The woman's voice carries visible distress as she tells the patwari that she had to take on a heavy loan just to arrange the cash he was demanding, adding that she comes from an extremely poor family. She is heard repeatedly pleading with him to get her stalled work done. Since the video went viral, residents in the area have expressed anger and are demanding both an impartial investigation and strict action against the official involved.
Collector Narendra Suryavanshi: termination if charges are proven
Collector Narendra Suryavanshi said he had just been informed that a patwari from the Managawan area had allegedly demanded money from a woman, and that the person seen accepting cash in the video appears to be the same official. He said providing services to the public is the administration's basic duty, and since government employees draw a salary from the state, they are obligated to perform that duty without discrimination, regardless of the religion or caste of the person they are serving. He added that if the complaint against the patwari is found to be true after investigation, termination proceedings will be initiated against him.
Collector appeals to public: don't pay government staff
Suryavanshi also appealed to the general public not to pay money to any government employee for getting official work done, pointing out that these employees already receive a salary from the state for that purpose. He stressed that anyone who pays an illegal amount is just as guilty as the employee who accepts it, and that action will certainly be taken against the patwari who took the bribe. He urged people not to fall for anyone's persuasion and said that if any citizen faces difficulty with administrative work, they can directly reach out to him.
