Why tribals in Madhya Pradesh are sitting on funeral pyres, tying nooses around neck
A noose rests loosely around the necks of tribal women in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur. Beside them, another group lies motionless on a symbolic funeral pyre
A noose rests loosely around the necks of tribal women in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur. Beside them, another group lies motionless on a symbolic funeral pyre, while a few metres away, villagers stand waist-deep in the Barana River. None of these are acts of despair. They are carefully chosen forms of protest by tribals who say they are fighting not just for compensation, but for the right to remain rooted to the land they have called home for generations. Read Full Story As India's first river-linking initiative gathers momentum, the Ken-Betwa River Link Project has also sparked an equally determined resistance, with each act of protest underscoring the growing tensions between development and displacement. Protesters alleged that authorities had taken possession of their land without paying full compensation, leaving hundreds of displaced families stripped of their agricultural land, livelihoods and cultural identity. They also accused the administration of carrying out illegal evictions, filing false police cases against villagers and excluding several affected families from official rehabilitation lists. The Rs 44,605-crore Ken-Betwa Link Project promises to irrigate 10.62 lakh hectares, provide drinking water to 62 lakh people and generate 130 MW of electricity. Touted as a transformative infrastructure project, it seeks to transfer water from the Ken basin to the Betwa basin, addressing water scarcity across parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. But for hundreds of tribal families living in villages, this ambitious project has come to represent something else entirely: displacement, uncertainty and a long struggle for rehabilitation. UNFULFILLED ASSURANCES AND INCOMPLETE REHABILITATION The protest has been spearheaded by Jai Kisan Organisation leader Amit Bhatnagar, whose indefinite hunger strike has become another focal point of the agitation. Bhatnagar alleges that families affected not only by the Ken-Betwa project but also by the Majhgaon and Runjh irrigation projects have been denied justice despite repeated promises.
According to protesters, displaced families have lost agricultural land, forests, water sources, livelihoods and cultural identity. They also accuse authorities of illegal evictions, disconnecting electricity, filing false police cases and failing to include all affected families in official rehabilitation lists. One of their key demands of protestors is transparency. Bhatnagar disputes the administration's claim that 638 previously excluded families have now been included in the project-affected persons list, alleging that names from villages such as Mainari continue to be missing. Protesters have demanded that complete beneficiary lists be publicly displayed in every affected village. Another central demand concerns compensation. The protesters argue that authorities have taken possession of land without paying full compensation, alleging violations of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. They maintain that construction work on the dam should not proceed until rehabilitation is completed. MANY FACES OF RESISTANCE The agitation has unfolded in phases, with every passing week introducing a new and more dramatic form of peaceful protest. It began with Chita Satyagraha, where displaced villagers lay on symbolic funeral pyres, saying they had already "died" after losing their homes, fields and forests. Then came Mitti Satyagraha, as protesters covered themselves in soil, asserting that the land they cultivated for generations formed an inseparable part of their identity. The movement soon shifted into Jal Satyagraha, with villagers standing for hours in the waters of the Barana River, a familiar method of protest used in several displacement movements across central India. Now, the agitation has reached its most striking stage: Phansi Satyagraha, or the symbolic hanging protest. Tribal women have placed nooses around their necks, demanding either complete rehabilitation or state-sanctioned euthanasia if the government cannot ensure justice.
The BriefWire