Madhya Pradesh Police crush tribal protest against river-link project

Bhopal: Police in Madhya Pradesh forcibly ended a 15-day protest by tribal communities against the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project, India's first river interlinking scheme, removing demonstrators from the site and sending them back to their villages in buses.

The protest, led mainly by tribal women, had been underway since July 3 on the banks of the Barana river in Chhatarpur district. Demonstrators demanded protection of the constitutional rights of project-affected families and strict adherence to legal procedures. As part of the agitation, they staged Jal Satyagraha, Chita Satyagraha and a symbolic gallows protest.

Protesters alleged that police detained movement leader Amit Bhatnagar in a pre-dawn operation just before he was due to address the media on alleged corruption worth ₹400 crore in the project. Police denied detaining him, saying the activist, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike for 11 days, was shifted to the hospital after his health deteriorated.

Authorities said the protest site, located beneath an under-construction bridge and in the river, had become unsafe due to rising water levels. Police also argued that most protesters were from Panna district and should not have been demonstrating at the location.

The Ken-Betwa Project aims to divert surplus water from the Ken River to the Betwa River to provide drinking water and irrigation to the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Tribal groups and environmental activists have strongly opposed the project, alleging irregularities in land acquisition and rehabilitation and warning that it will cause extensive damage to forests and wildlife, including the Panna Tiger Reserve.

The district administration rejected the allegations, maintaining that the project is being implemented legally and is essential for the development of Bundelkhand.