Police action forces end to tribal protest against MP’s Ken-Betwa project after 15 days
The police dismantled the protest site, on the banks of Barana river near Kupi village, and symbolic pyres used by the demonstrators
Madhya Pradesh Police and the district administration on Sunday forcibly removed protesters and ended the 15-day-long satyagraha against the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other irrigation schemes in Chhatarpur district. While officials said the action was taken peacefully due to safety concerns arising from an under-construction bridge and rising river levels, protesters alleged they were forcibly removed from the protest site and taken back to their villages against their will.
Protesters said they had made it clear they did not want to call off the agitation and would not accept what they described as “false assurances” from the administration, alleging that similar promises made during an earlier round of protests in April were never fulfilled. They said they intended to continue their satyagraha until their demands were addressed.
The agitation, led largely by Adivasi families affected by the Ken-Betwa Link Project as well as the Majhgaon, Runjh and other irrigation projects, has centred on demands for fair compensation, proper rehabilitation and recognition of all affected families. Protesters allege the projects have taken away their agricultural land, forests, homes, water sources and traditional livelihoods, while many displaced families have either received inadequate compensation or have been excluded from rehabilitation benefits altogether. They have also alleged forced evictions and unfulfilled rehabilitation commitments by the government.
Over the past two weeks, the movement drew attention through a series of symbolic Gandhian protests, including a hunger strike, Jal Satyagraha, Chita Andolan, the funeral pyre protest, and a “hanging satyagraha”, with demonstrators saying these forms of protest reflected the loss of their land, livelihoods and cultural identity.