Vivek Ruthia, 63, claims that his grandfather, Seth Jumma Lal Ruthia, a prominent businessman from Sehore, advanced Rs 35,000 in 1917 to W.S. Davis, then the Political Agent in Bhopal under British rule. According to family records, the amount was subscribed to the Indian War Loan during World War I to assist in administrative management in the Bhopal State.
A certificate dated June 4, 1917 — preserved carefully by the family — states that Seth Jumma Lal of the firm Seth Rama Kishan Jaskaran Ruthia “subscribed Rs 35,000 to the Indian War Loan and thereby showed his loyalty to the Government and Empire.” The document bears the signature of W.S. Davis in his official capacity as Political Agent in Bhopal.
