Ken-Betwa Protest Ends After MP Police Detain Amit Bhatnagar, 150 Protesters

Madhya Pradesh Police detained Ken-Betwa protest leader Amit Bhatnagar and around 150 demonstrators from Kupi village of Chhatarpur district on Sunday morning, ending a two-week agitation against the Rs 44,605-crore Ken-Betwa Link Project.

Several platoons of police in riot gear arrived at the protest site. Bhatnagar and the protesters waded into the river to keep their distance while officers tried to convince them to call off the agitation.

Additional SP Chhatarpur Aditya Patle told the Indian Express that Bhatnagar had not been arrested. "He was on a fast for two weeks, and taking his health into account, we detained him and took him to the local hospital for treatment," Patle said.

The Ken-Betwa Link Project, India's first river-linking project, will transfer water from the Ken River to the Betwa basin through the Daudhan Dam and a network of canals. The project aims to provide irrigation, drinking water and hydropower across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh but requires displacing nearly 2,000 families.

Compensation Fraud Allegations

Bhatnagar, a social activist who has worked on Bundelkhand displacement issues for several years, led the Kupi protest since July 3. The agitation drew displaced villagers from Daudhan, Palkhua, Sukwaha and neighbouring settlements demanding fresh surveys and corrected records. Despite being physically frail after his 14-day fast, Bhatnagar coordinated the protest from a cot under a tarpaulin, with fellow demonstrators often carrying him.

Before his detention, Bhatnagar told the Indian Express, "The government has not been fair and transparent in its land acquisition process. There are many irregularities in the disbursement of compensation." He joined women protesters on symbolic funeral cots and organised mock pyres to dramatise the "death" of villages facing submergence under the Daudhan reservoir.

Bhatnagar alleged that proceedings registers of the Gram Panchayats of Ratiya, Kari, Khatwani, Palkhua, Naiyyapur, Khajuri and Sukwaha contained identical word-for-word entries. He also questioned the authenticity of several Gram Sabha meetings shown as taking place at 11.30 am on February 17 and 18, 2022.

He further alleged that around Rs 8 crore of an Rs 11 crore compensation package for Kharihani village was paid to unconnected or migrated individuals. This included compensation sanctioned in the name of a Muslim family, although villagers said no Muslim family had ever lived in Kharihani.

Administration Rejects Claims

Chhatarpur Collector Parth Jaiswal rejected the allegations, saying that most participants were not directly affected by the project. Jaiswal told the Indian Express that the administration identified 176 participants. "About 10% of them are affected by the Ken-Betwa project. The remaining 90% are not project-affected," he said.

Jaiswal denied any Gram Sabha record fabrication. Regarding the Kharihani village compensation, he clarified that the Muslim family owned fertile agricultural land there and received compensation for the acquired land, not for residential status. Jaiswal said the administration is examining genuine grievances through the prescribed process and has shared Panna-related issues with the Panna administration.

Meanwhile, police detained around 150 protesters and sent them to Panna in buses. Patle added that the protesters were not local residents. "They are from Panna and had issues with other dam projects, so we detained them and sent them to Panna," he said.

What Is The Ken-Betwa Link Project?

The project involves constructing the Daudhan dam on the Ken river and a 221-kilometre canal to transfer water to the Betwa basin. The dam is expected to affect villages in Chhatarpur and Panna districts.

The Union Cabinet cleared the project in December 2021 at an estimated cost of more than Rs 44,000 crore. The foundation stone was laid in December 2024. The government has said the project will provide irrigation to more than 10 lakh hectares, drinking water to around 62 lakh people and generate hydroelectric power.

The administration has described the project as an important step for addressing water shortages in drought-prone Bundelkhand and improving irrigation, drinking water access and economic opportunities.

However, opposition to the project has centred on concerns over displacement and rehabilitation. Many affected residents belong to Gond and Kol tribal communities whose lives are linked to forests, rivers and small-scale farming.

Indian Express reported that official estimates indicate that 22 villages will be affected and more than 7,000 families will be displaced, with 10 villages facing complete submergence. For many villagers, the dispute is not only about compensation but also about losing access to forests, water sources, grazing areas and community networks.

Why Were People Protesting?

The agitation near Kupi village in Chhatarpur district involves families affected by the Ken-Betwa project as well as the Runjh and Majhgaon irrigation projects. Protesters allege that rehabilitation measures promised by authorities have not been fully implemented.

The protest is largely being led by tribal women and is being led by Amit Bhatnagar, who has been on an indefinite fast. The New Indian Express reported that demonstrators have carried out ‘jal satyagraha’, ‘chita (funeral pyre) satyagraha’ and a symbolic ‘faansi satyagraha’. According to PTI, protesters alleged only one formal medical examination of Bhatnagar had been conducted during his fast.

The protesters argue that displacement involves more than losing houses and land. They say forests, rivers, agricultural land and community ties are central to their livelihoods and cannot be replaced only through monetary compensation.

Bhatnagar earlier said, “People affected by the Ken-Betwa Link Project, as well as the Majhgaon and Runjh irrigation projects, had been denied justice.” He alleged that displaced families had lost their land, forests, water resources, livelihoods and cultural identity, while some had been subjected to false criminal cases, illegal eviction, disconnection of electricity supply and demolition of schools.

He has demanded that the administration stop intimidating villagers and publicly display the list of project-affected families in every village.

The latest agitation follows earlier protests, including a march towards Delhi that was stopped by police. Protesters had suspended an earlier agitation on April 16 after officials assured villagers that complaints related to compensation and rehabilitation would be reviewed. They now claim those assurances have not resulted in adequate action.