Allegations regarding the repeated use of the same police witnesses have surfaced in Madhya Pradesh’s Mauganj district following an examination of official crime records.
Data from the Crime & Criminal
Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), a Union home ministry platform, shows that a group of six individuals were listed as government witnesses in a large number of cases registered at Laur and Naigadhi police stations, often across different villages and at overlapping times, according to a report in The Times of India.
The repeated appearance of these names across numerous FIRs raised concerns about the authenticity of the investigations. At the centre of the controversy is Jagdish Singh Thakur, the former in-charge of both the police stations.
RTI Activist’s Complaint Flags Alleged Misuse Of Police Witnesses
This development came to light after an RTI activist filed complaints alleging that during Thakur’s tenure, more than 150 FIRs were registered under questionable circumstances. According to the complaint, the same set of individuals were consistently cited as witnesses to support routine police actions, provide formal justification for cases, and allegedly enable corrupt practices.
One of the six individuals, Amit Kushwaha, who appeared as a witness in a large number of cases, allegedly accompanied Thakur during his postings. Tiwari first approached the police with a complaint in 2022 and submitted a detailed follow-up complaint in December 2025, along with supporting documents, the TOI report mentioned.
Following the complaint, Mauganj superintendent of police Dilip Soni removed Thakur as the in-charge of Naigadhi police station on Sunday. Soni said the allegations were being examined and that details relating to 145 FIRs with common witnesses had been shared by the complainant. He added that this was one of several factors behind the decision.
Some individuals named as witnesses have denied their involvement. Dinesh Kushwaha, a vegetable vendor, said his name was used without his knowledge in several cases. Another individual, Rahul Vishwakarma, said he signed documents at the police station after arrests but was not present during the alleged actions.
Tiwari claimed the issue was longstanding, alleging that similar patterns appeared in older records. Police officials said the inquiry would determine whether procedures were violated and if disciplinary or criminal action was required.
