Protest against Ken-Betwa river link project turns violent in M.P.; 3 cases lodged

Three cases have been filed in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur against a group of people after a protest they were carrying out against the Ken-Betwa river linking project and the arrest of a local activist turned violent, officers said on Wednesday (February 11, 2026).

According to the police, locals from various villages under the Bijawar tehsil were on Tuesday evening (February 10, 2026) protesting for various demands, including the release of Amit Bhatnagar, who is also a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and better compensation and rehabilitation for those affected by the ambitious project. The demonstration, however, turned violent late in the night, leading to stone pelting by protestors and blockading of the tehsil premises, which resulted in sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Vijay Dwivedi and various officials getting stuck inside.

The protestors included tribals, women and workers of Opposition parties such as the Congress, AAP and the Samajwadi Party.

Chhatarpur Superintendent of Police Agam Jain told The Hindu that while the protests were going on peacefully in the evening, a group of drunk men tried to create a nuisance in the night, which led to a tense situation for some time. 

“We have identified about 10 people who tried to create a nuisance and are working to detain them. Some people also misbehaved with a baraat (wedding procession) that was passing by and assaulted the people in it. One of the FIRs has been filed based on a complaint from them,” he said, adding that one FIR has been lodged for manhandling government officials while another for blockading.

The FIRs have been filed against more than 40 unidentified people.

While local reports claim that the police resorted to lathi charges, Mr. Jain denied the allegation and said that only mild force such as water cannons was used to disperse the crowd. 

Mr. Jain said that senior officials also held meetings with the representatives of the protestors on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) and addressed their concerns. 

“The situation is peaceful now. There is no heavy deployment in the area but the police are keeping a vigil to maintain peace,” he added. 

A district administration official, who requested anonymity, said that Mr. Bhatnagar was arrested on the “apprehension that he may disturb the peace in the area” under Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). 

Flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, 2024, the Ken-Betwa link project (KBLP) is the first of 30 such link projects under a National Perspective Plan (NPP) for water resources development and interlinking of rivers with ‘surplus water’ to those with ‘deficit water’. The KBLP plans to transfer excess water from the Ken river basin to the Betwa river basin in the Bundelkhand region that covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

However, residents of several villages in Chhatarpur and Panna districts have long been protesting the project over fears of displacement and demanding better rehabilitation and improved compensation. Various environmentalists, including Former Union Environment Minister and Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, have also expressed concerns over its potential impact on the environment, local ecology and wildlife, as a large part of the project falls inside the Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve.