Of Rs 2.4 crore allocated for 960 farmers hit by 2021 floods in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district, less than Rs 30 lakh reached 133 beneficiaries. Investigators allege revenue officials diverted funds to 127 unrelated bank accounts. KBC winner tehsildar Amita Singh Tomar was arrested in March.
August 2021 floods in Sheopur district's Badoda tehsil affected 960 farmers, for whom Rs 2,40,68,720 was allocated. Yet only less than Rs 30 lakh reached 133 beneficiaries, with the rest allegedly funnelled into 127 unrelated bank accounts belonging to patwari relatives or residents of distant towns like Shivpuri and Manpur.
Tehsildar Amita Singh Tomar, famous for winning Rs 50 lakh on Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2019, was arrested in March. SDOP Avneet Sharma stated, "The accused patwaris revealed that the tehsildar (Tomar) was to receive around Rs 75 lakh to Rs 80 lakh." At least 30 arrests have been made among 110 identified accused, including 18 patwaris and three private computer operators.
In Lalitpura village, Jairam's wife Urmala said, "We got only Rs 5,000. Everyone in our family had to take up work; three children dropped out of school." Farmers like Hemant Kushwaha and Dinesh reported receiving partial amounts, with funds diverted to others. ADM Rupesh Upadhyay noted recovery proceedings for Rs 1 crore from patwaris, but reimbursement to victims remains uncertain.
The FIR was registered in September 2023 after complaints of unauthorised transfers. The Prevention of Corruption Act was invoked this March. Tomar claimed in court she signed after verification and was merely the procedural endpoint.
