MP Patwari Strike Continues Despite Government’s New FIR Protection Order

The MP patwari strike showed no signs of ending on Monday, even after the state government issued an order shielding patwaris from direct FIRs, as talks between officials and the striking employees failed to reach a full resolution.

More than 23,000 patwaris across Madhya Pradesh continued their agitation, now in its fifth day, despite a fresh directive from the Revenue Department stating that no FIR would be filed directly against them without a preliminary inquiry first. The order was issued by Principal Secretary, Revenue, E. Ramesh Kumar, following a meeting with a patwari delegation at the state secretariat in Bhopal. Although the move was meant to address one of the community’s central demands, it did not persuade the striking employees to call off their protest, and revenue-related administrative work remained disrupted across several districts.

Patwaris Had Sought Protection From Sudden Legal Action

The directive follows a memorandum submitted by the Madhya Pradesh Patwari Association on 20 July, which raised concerns over FIRs being registered against employees without adequate scrutiny. The association explained that patwaris typically submit only preliminary reports in matters such as wills and other revenue court cases, and that final decisions in these disputes are based on the overall merits of the case rather than the initial report alone. Despite this, the association said, several patwaris had legal cases filed against them directly, without any prior examination of the facts.

In response, the Revenue Department has now instructed all district collectors that any proposal to file an FIR against a patwari, arising from reports submitted in revenue courts, must first go through a preliminary examination. Only after this review is completed can further legal proceedings be initiated.

Key Demands Behind The Ongoing MP Patwari Strike

Beyond the FIR-related concession, the patwari association has raised several other long-standing demands that remain unaddressed:

Grade pay should be increased to at least Rs 4,200.
Pay level should be revised to Level-7.
Salaries should match educational qualifications, responsibilities and workload.
Evaluation should reflect their role in implementing government schemes.
Uniform policies should be adopted for the overall upliftment of patwaris.

The association argues that patwaris play a central role in delivering government schemes at the ground level, yet their pay structure and evaluation process do not reflect this responsibility. These demands, submitted alongside the FIR-related complaint, have not yet received a formal response from the state government.

Patwaris Escalated Their Protest Gradually Over Several Weeks

The current agitation is the result of a phased protest that began in mid-July. Patwaris initially took three days of collective leave from 15 to 17 July, followed by two days of scheduled government holidays during which work also remained suspended. They then withdrew from official WhatsApp coordination groups and stopped responding to quick-action instructions from senior officials. When the government still did not act on their demands, employees moved to an indefinite strike starting 3 August.

The FIR-related order issued this week marks the state government’s first formal response to the association’s list of demands, but its failure to end the standoff suggests that patwaris are holding out for broader assurances on pay and working conditions.

Officials Yet To Respond To Remaining Demands

With administrative work stalled in districts across Madhya Pradesh, officials are likely to face growing pressure to hold further talks with association representatives in the coming days. The gap between the government’s assurances and the community’s expectations indicates that a complete resolution may require additional rounds of negotiation, particularly on the pending pay and evaluation-related demands.

For more coverage on inflation, fuel prices, and Madhya Pradesh politics, read updates on Vision MP.