Panna Collector Harsh Singh visited the protest site on November 1 and held discussions with the protesters and movement leader Amit Bhatnagar. After the meeting, protests against inadequate compensation and rehabilitation of multiple infrastructure projects in the district were suspended for 15 days.
Protests by families affected by the Ken-Betwa River Link Project and two irrigation projects in Panna. Protesters demand fair compensation, rehabilitation, and a fresh survey of affected families and properties. They maintained that they would not leave their homes until they received adequate compensation.
The families opposing the Ken-Betwa River Link Project, the Majhgawan and Runj medium irrigation projects, and the Lalitpur-Singrauli railway line protested for more than 50 days in Mandla Tipariya village, Ajaygarh tehsil, Panna district.
Police also arrested several prominent faces of the movement during the protest. Protesters accused the police of using excessive force and falsely implicating their leaders in criminal cases. While Bhatnagar was released after his arrest, woman activist Divya Ahirwar remains in jail.
Jai Kisan Sangathan press release said the Collector assured the protesters that “no affected family would be allowed to suffer injustice.” Bhatnagar said the protest would resume if their demands are not met.
What has happened during the protest so far?
In July, Bhatnagar staged a prolonged protest and an indefinite hunger strike in Kupi village of Chhatarpur district. The protest ended on July 19 following police action and his detention. After the protest ended, surveys resumed in villages affected by the Ken-Betwa project.
However, families affected by the Runj and Majhgawan projects maintained that their complaints related to compensation and rehabilitation remained unresolved. Consequently, villagers resumed their protest on September 11.
Around 15 days later, police arrived at the protest site to remove the demonstrators, leading to an argument between the two sides. The following day, Bhatnagar announced an indefinite hunger strike against the police action.
On the evening of September 28, police arrested Divya Ahirwar and Hisabi Rajput, who were leading the protest. Bhatnagar, who had reached the police station to court arrest in solidarity, was arrested at Hanumatpur police outpost on September 30.
Allegations of police brutality
Videos released by the protesters show some people accompanying the police in plain clothes, while some police personnel were allegedly without nameplates, which protesters objected to.
Indrapal Adivasi, a resident of Mandaliya Tipariya village in Panna district, was also detained along with Divya Ahirwar and Hisabi Rajput. He is among the people affected by the Majhgawan dam project.
Indrapal said he had gone to the protest site to deliver food to his mother when the police detained him along with the others. He alleged that the police assaulted him when he protested against the detention.
Indrapal said he spent around 17–18 days in jail. The police took him to Panna and Chhatarpur before producing him before a magistrate in Bijawar, after which he was sent to jail. He said he had not yet seen the FIR registered against him.
The FIR No. 0510, obtained by Ground Report in connection with the incident, names 13 people, including Divya Ahirwar and Hisabi Rajput, along with one unidentified person. It invokes Sections 190, 191(2), 191(3), 109(1), 296(b) and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These sections relate to unlawful assembly, rioting, use of deadly weapons, attempt to murder, obscene acts in public places, and criminal intimidation.
Indrapal Adivasi and Hisabi Rajput have since been released on bail. However, Divya Ahirwar has been in Panna jail for the past month.
Ground Report contacted Bhupal Singh Bhadoria, in-charge of the Hanumatpur police outpost, seeking his response to the protesters’ allegations. He said he was occupied with official work and would call back. However, he had not responded by the time this report was published.
Political leaders extend support to the protest
On September 24, Umang Singhar, Leader of the Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, met the protesters and persuaded Bhatnagar to end his hunger strike. He later visited Panna jail to meet Divya Ahirwar.
On September 26, Jitu Patwari, president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, also met Ahirwar in jail.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Brinda Karat submitted a memorandum to the Panna Collector, raising concerns over displacement, compensation and cases registered against the protesters. Karat accused the Central and Madhya Pradesh governments of forcibly evicting Adivasi families.
On September 28, Karat and Bhatnagar also met Ahirwar. According to a statement issued by the Jai Kisan Sangathan, Ahirwar refused to seek bail and said she would continue her struggle from jail.
Ahirwar had alleged that she was jailed for “raising legal questions on behalf of Adivasis and farmers”. She also questioned the manner of her arrest, the alleged ill-treatment in police custody, the absence of a medical examination and the failure to record her statement.
Submerged homes and the question of compensation
The Majhgawan dam project submerged a large part of Indrapal Adivasi’s house. For the past month, his family has been living in the remaining damaged portion.
Indrapal said officials found him ineligible for compensation based on his date of birth. However, his documents list his birth year as 2001, making him 25 years old. He said his family had received compensation for its agricultural land but not for the damage to their house.
The dispute concerns three projects: the Ken-Betwa River Link Project and the two medium irrigation projects, Runj and Majhgawan, in Panna district.
The Majhgawan Medium Irrigation Project is estimated to cost Rs 693 crore, to provide irrigation to around 1,360 hectares. However, the project could affect approximately 1,523 hectares of land and displace an estimated 999 families.
Scheduled Castes account for 16.4% of the population in the affected villages, while Scheduled Tribes constitute 22%.
Meanwhile, the Rs 513-crore Runj project aims to develop irrigation facilities across approximately 14,450 hectares. The project is expected to benefit around 47 villages in Ajaygarh tehsil.
Indrapal demands that officials assess the damage to his house and decide on the compensation. His mother also expressed concern about her children’s education and future.
What happens next?
In memoranda submitted to the district administration, the Jai Kisan Sangathan has made several demands. These include setting 2026 as the cut-off year for the Runj and Ken-Betwa projects, providing three acres of agricultural land to affected families to secure their livelihoods, and conducting a fair re-survey of families and assets left out of the earlier assessments.
The organisation has also demanded full compensation, dignified rehabilitation, implementation of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and an investigation into irregularities in compensation distribution.
The protesters have also said that the administration must ensure a fair resolution of the cases registered against Ahirwar and other activists.
Bhatnagar said his organisation and the affected families would cooperate with the administration, provided it addressed their grievances fairly and in accordance with the law.
Announcing the 15-day suspension of the protest, he clarified that the movement had not ended with the administration’s assurances. He said the protesters would resume the agitation if their demands were not met.
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