Youth Collective’s Site Set on Fire After Assault, Charges Over Books on Ideology
Books, Legal Aid Centres and Vehicles Destroyed in Fire at HOWL Group’s Campus
October 31, 2025
Photo by HOWL
Unidentified individuals set fire to a rural campus run by the youth collective HOWL (How Ought We Live), which works with tribal communities, destroying property worth lakhs. The suspected arson came after months of rising hostility, including physical assaults, allegedly by local right-wing groups, and the arrest of the group’s founder on charges of offending religious sentiments.
The campus of HOWL Group in Shukrawasa village in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district was torched on the night of Oct. 29, burning down vehicles, machinery, books, a flour mill, clothes and furniture, the collective said in a statement sent to Newsreel Asia.
Built on land donated by a tribal resident, the site housed public services such as a library, health and legal aid centres, a community kitchen and small employment-generating ventures including fishery and poultry units.
The collective said it suspects the same individuals who had repeatedly harassed its members and accused founder Sourav Banerjee, a journalist, of offending religious sentiments to be behind the arson.
In the hours before the fire, members of the group’s Parvatpura Panchayat Development Committee were cleaning the site when two local residents, identified as Nilesh Patel and Brahmanand Choudhary, allegedly threatened them with violence if they resumed activities on the campus, the group said.
HOWL said the group plans to file a police complaint and demand a high-level inquiry, arrests of those involved, and an end to the alleged targeted sabotage. The statement also criticised police inaction, calling it long-standing administrative apathy toward tribal and poor communities.
The group said the attack was the latest in a pattern of intimidation that began with Banerjee’s arrest and the demolition of another campus in August.
In July, Banerjee was detained by Dewas police after a press conference in Indore addressing allegations of “anti-Hindu” activities.
HOWL said its members were physically attacked at the Indore Press Club and again at the office of a regional daily. The group added that police refused to register its complaints and instead took Banerjee to the Superintendent of Police’s office, where he was detained while the others were released that night.
Banerjee was later charged under Sections 299 and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which criminalise acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
The police chargesheet cited as evidence a Hindi-language book on fascism and another on the communist movement found in Banerjee’s possession. The incident drew wide attention, as the use of reading material as grounds for arrest was seen as punishing thought and dissent rather than crime.
Witnesses listed in the chargesheet, including the main complainant Sachin Bamania and his brother Pankaj, claimed Banerjee insulted Hindu deities. Other witnesses made similar claims but admitted they had not been present during the incident in question.
The chargesheet also alleged unauthorised construction, drug use and payments in U.S. dollars, while stating that further investigation was underway regarding possible foreign funding. Banerjee’s lawyer said the payments were for freelance translation work and had been disclosed in income tax filings. He denied all allegations of religious insult or illegal activity.
Banerjee was granted bail by the Madhya Pradesh High Court shortly after the charges were filed.
After his arrest, HOWL’s campus was demolished by police and local authorities on Aug. 5, without formal notice or due legal procedure, the group said. The site had served as a regional hub for social support programs, informal education and employment initiatives for several years before the crackdown.
HOWL members said their immediate concern was rebuilding support systems in the panchayat and ensuring safety for volunteers.
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