‘Heart-Wrenching’: Kiren Rijiju Shares Video Of Woman Crying Over Felling Of 20-Year-Old Peepal Tree

Last Updated:October 12, 2025, 1:06 pm IST

Deola Bai, 85, wept after a Peepal tree she planted in Sara Gondi, Chhattisgarh, was cut down. Police arrested two men. Kiren Rijiju shared the heart-wrenching video online.

Screengrab of the video

A heartbreaking video shared by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has moved people across social media, showing an elderly woman in Chhattisgarh weeping bitterly after a Peepal tree she planted 20 years ago was cut down.

In the clip, the woman can be seen crying beside the felled tree, mourning the loss of something she had nurtured for two decades. Rijiju described the scene as “heart-wrenching,” drawing attention to the emotional and environmental impact of such acts.

The incident occurred in Sara Gondi village in Chhattisgarh’s Khairagarh district. The woman in the video is identified as Deola Bai, 85.

The peepal tree was reportedly chopped down for personal gain. In the viral video, distressed locals can be seen gathering around the fallen trunk as Deola Bai wept inconsolably, TOI reported.

According to a report by The Times of India, police launched an investigation after a complaint was filed by village resident Pramod Patel. The Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai (KCG) district police have since arrested two men in connection with the incident.

Station House Officer (SHO) Anil Sharma said the tree stood on government land but had been a cherished part of the community for nearly 20 years.

A case has been filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 298 for actions intended to hurt religious sentiments, Section 238 for mischief, and Section 3(5).

Additional charges under Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act were also added, the report stated. Both men were arrested, brought before the court, and remanded to judicial custody.

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