Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district clear a protest against the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other development works on Sunday, ending a stir that began on July 3. Protesters, mainly tribal women, had been staging demonstrations on the banks of the Barana river near Kupi village, including ‘jal’ satyagraha, ‘chita’ (funeral pyre) satyagraha and a symbolic ‘faansi’ satyagraha.
The protest leader, Amit Bhatnagar, had been on an extended fast and is shifted to a hospital after his health deteriorates. Police and local administration officials say no arrests are made and that protesters are removed from the site for safety and health reasons. They cite rising Barana river water and the presence of demonstrators near or in the river, including under an under-construction bridge, as creating risk during the monsoon.
Protesters and opposition politician Umang Singhar allege that police forcibly removed activists and that detention occurred. They raise concerns about alleged irregularities, and about land acquisition, rehabilitation, and environmental safeguards tied to the project’s implementation. Officials reject these allegations and state the project proceeds through legal procedures.
