Bhopal: Around 40 villagers booked on Tuesday night for creating a ruckus, blocking a road and pelting stones during a six-day protest against the construction of the Daudhan dam, part of the Ken-Betwa river linking project, in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district.
Since Friday, the protesters have been staging demonstrations seeking proper compensation or a rehabilitation plan. They were also demanding the immediate release of activist Amit Bhatnagar, who was leading the protest. The villagers demanded legal guarantees for their rights, compensation of ₹15 lakh, and agricultural land.
“The struggle is not limited to compensation, but rather a fight to protect water, forests, life and constitutional rights. We will not move from the dam site until our rights are ensured,” protester Suman Adivasi said.
Chhatarpur district collector Parth Jaiswal said negotiations with villagers are ongoing. “Their demands are linked to government policy matters. We are trying to place them on the proper platform. Work at the dam site is currently halted due to the agitation, but we expect a resolution soon,” he said.
The Chhatarpur police filed three FIRs for creating a ruckus, attacking a marriage procession in Bijawar and pelting stones at police.
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“The protesters on Tuesday reached the Bijawar tehsil office in large numbers to protest against the district administration. They blocked the Bijawar-Matguwa road from around 3 pm, which continued until late at night. They turned violent and pelted stones at police. The first FIR has been registered for obstructing a public servant from performing his duty. They also attacked a marriage procession. Later, they created a ruckus on the road. The district administration tried to convince them for the past six days, but they are not ready to listen,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Agam Jain said.
A heavy police force has now been deployed at the dam site and the Bijawar tehsil.
However, the villagers alleged that they were protesting peacefully and that police used force and a water cannon during the night.
“We were sitting peacefully at the Bijawar tehsil office on Tuesday night when they arrested social activist Amit Bhatnagar, who was helping us with the protest. Police suddenly came and used a water cannon. They used force to disperse us. They registered FIRs against us to suppress our voices,” Rajesh Kumar, another protester, said.
The villagers said that stoves would not be lit in 15 villages until their demands were met.
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