In Madhya Pradesh, a village associated with crime is now producing doctors

“We were once known as thieves. Now, our village is known to its doctors,” says 27 -year -old Rahul Sisodia. (Express photo by Anand Mohan J)

Preparing for his postgraduate medical entrance examination, Rahul was born in a family that made a way to get out of poverty. His grandfather, a farmer, sold his land to educate his five children. While two of them were back in the field, the rest became the first generation of white-collar professionals in the family-one bank manager and two government teachers.

“My father, a government school teacher, realized that he was the only way to education soon. He sold his six bighas to educate both of them. He sent me to a hostel 15 km away to keep me away from crime. I did not understand their reasons, but I do now,” Sicrosia said.

Before focusing her focus on the drug, Cyssodia played volleyball at the national level. Giving credit to his teachers, who “chose to see his ability on his caste and address”, he says that discrimination is still prevalent in the village. “Some schools refused to enter the children of our village. I had to fight to accept them,” they say.

Rahul Sisodia with his family members who prepare for UPSC and NEET exam (Express photo by Anand Mohan J)

A radiologist, a radiologist at a government medical college in Vidisha, his cousin Chetan Sisodia, he said that he took a loan of Rs 30 lakh to complete his degree. “We were all the first generation learners. We had no one to guide. We just had to find out,” they say.

Dr. Chetan Sisodia says that he has no confusion about the stigma associated with his community. “You can literally smell discrimination in the room. It is clear how people look at you, how they talk. When a person in our village does something wrong, the police punishes everyone. My cousins ​​were booked in criminal cases. I decided to keep away so that I did not have a career risk,” they say.

His cousin Rohan Sisodia, 22, is in the final year of MBBS at a government medical college in Vidisha. Rohan says that his parents saved him from the village “to keep him out of trouble” from the village.

Dr. Vishal Sisodia, another cousin, is the head of the Community Health Center in Khilchipur, about 70 km from Kadia Sansi. “I studied a peepal tree and repeatedly under class 6. My teachers wrote to me. Fortunately, I moved to Bhopal, then to Indore for coaching.”

Along with bringing about the change in the 1980s, a retired director, residents with central health services, Dr.. Credited RC Sisodia.

“I targeted liquor and women selling and those involved in theft. I saved 39 women from Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata – all were sold in prostitution – and brought them home. We arranged their weddings in this village,” he said.

Rahul Sisodia with his father, a teacher. (Express photo by Anand Mohan J)

Dr. RC Sisodia also helped to advocate community committees, state and Union ministers, and secured loans to buy family livestock and start afresh.

Sarpanch Padam Singh said, “As our income increased, people intensified the crime. He was our Messiah.”

Despite the infrastructure gap – the village lacks a hospital, there is an incredible power supply and its water tank produced two years ago, so far a single drop of water has been seen – other changes have also taken place.

Agriculture remains the economic backbone, in which farmers grown soy, chickpeas, wheat, onion, sorbet and pearls, harvesting about 30 quintals. Many people complement their earnings with seasonal labor work, earning around Rs 60,000 during the crop season, besides to avail central and state welfare schemes.

Many villages are a part of local self-help groups, while young men have enrolled in vocational training programs such as plumbing, electricity work and farming. More than 250 residents of the community are doing high-skilled private and government jobs. Around 25 doctors have become, 15 are in police force and at least 100 are school teachers.

Although almost every family in the village has at least one government employee (teacher, doctor, clerk and police personnel), literacy rates are up and school dropout rates are down, locals know that they are just one arrest from losing all this. Dr. Rahul Sisodia’s father says, “A mistake by a person, and the police scored the entire family.”

Scrolling through photo gallery on your smartphone, he stops showing a person with the leg of bleeding. “My brother was shot during a police raid. I was once picked up from school for questioning. Kalank sticks,” he says, pointing to the photo.

Dr. Despite being the grandson of RC Sisodia, Dr. Vishal Sisodia says that when he returns to Kadia Sansi, he walks in eggs. “A young man preparing for MBBS was recently picked up by the police. He is now in judicial custody. His future has gone. I was also nominated in a cedar on a village dispute, but managed to escape because the other party confirmed that I was not around,” they say.

Kadia Sansi’s only school has classes up to class 8. For higher education, most children run several kilometers or shift to cities such as Pachor. The most bright, if they can tolerate it, proceed to the coaching hub in Bhopal, Indore, Guna or Kota.

Lakshmi Sisodia, a teacher of the primary school, says, “Our aim is to ensure that the children are not out of school. If this happens, they will turn into a crime.”

Dr. RC Sisodia, who accepts “out of touch” with the village “for the last five to six years”, says that he has heard that alcohol is being sold again in the village). “People are slipping. Our only hope is that the education revolution stops. We need a stable flow of doctors to inspire others,” they say.

His comment is not baseless. In local rays shops, whiskey bottles are sold with lentils and shampoo pouches. However, it seems that education has done miracles for at least one family in the village.

At Boda police station, about 10 km from Kadia Sansi village, a senior officer is clinging to his walkie-talkie to get intelligence from three crime-hit villages nearby.

“Earlier, we will send 10 police teams. Now, just one goes,” he says, scanning the reports. “The nature of the crime has changed – it is mostly bag lifting in weddings. They (accused) wear well clothes, mix and disappear with precious accessories. After the wedding season, they walk on other goals.”

Crime may appear petty, but the scale is organized, they say. Although only a part of the villagers is directly involved in theft, the decline affects everyone.

Sarpanch Mor Singh says, “Only 5% of the people who do all this (theft) but the police booked the whole family if a person is caught. Everyone is painted with the same brush.”

In 2023, officials of 460 police stations across India visited Rajgarh in connection with criminal cases tied to Kadia Sansi. In 2024, this number increased to 557.

Dharmendra Sharma, the station in -charge, justifies the broad sweep, “When we go to make a arrest, the village starts throwing stones. We have to book others to maintain the order. About 25% of the village is still in theft.”

The police have combated it with an aggressive geotaging and profileing exercise: each known accused address, family tree, mobile number, known surname and criminal associate maps are mapped.

Technology has become integral to enforcement. Officers now rely on an all-India WhatsApp group of police stations that track the movements of suspects in state lines-especially during the peak wedding season. The recovery of stolen goods is strict. “Even if it is to come from the accused’s pocket, we ensure complete recovery. Nobody leaves custody until every rupee comes back.”