Police cited safety concerns due to rising river levels, while protesters alleged detention and accused the administration of suppressing dissent.
July 19, 2026: Police on Sunday dispersed a 17-day protest against the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other development initiatives in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, shifting movement leader Amit Bhatnagar to a hospital after his health reportedly deteriorated following an 11-day fast. Authorities said the action was taken because rising water levels in the Barana River posed a serious safety risk, as demonstrators had been protesting beneath an under-construction bridge and partially inside the river. Protesters, however, alleged that Bhatnagar and several others were detained during the operation, a claim denied by the administration.
The protest had been underway since July 3 near Kupi village and was led primarily by tribal women opposing the Ken-Betwa Link Project. Demonstrators organised several forms of symbolic protest, including jal satyagraha, chita satyagraha and faansi satyagraha. The country’s first river-linking project under the National Perspective Plan aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken River to the Betwa River to improve irrigation and drinking water supply in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. However, project-affected families and environmental groups have raised concerns over displacement, rehabilitation and the impact on forests and wildlife, including parts of the Panna Tiger Reserve.
One of the protesters, Divya Ahirwar, alleged that police arrived at the protest site around 5 am and detained Bhatnagar before he could address the media over alleged corruption in the project. Additional Superintendent of Police Aditya Patle said protesters were transported to their native villages. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar criticised the BJP government, calling the police action “undemocratic” and demanding the release of all detained protesters. The administration, however, maintained that the Ken-Betwa Link Project is of national importance and will significantly improve irrigation, drinking water availability and development in the Bundelkhand region.