The women in Bundelkhand have taken matters into their own hands. When governments try to violate nature and the people living in it for their never-ending greed, resistance is the only way out.
The "Chita Andolan" in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh.
- Tribal families affected by the Ken-Betwa Link Project and the Runjh-Majhguwa Dam have been protesting for over 11 days. Hundreds of tribal women staged a 'Panchtatva Movement' on the river shore, raising slogans and displaying placards against the government project.
- Tribal women, accompanied by their children, have been lying down on mock funeral pyres as a form of extreme symbolic protest.
- One protester said : "Our forests, land, and homes are being taken away, so we are forced to protest. It's been 11 days and no officials have come. We will not leave until our demands are met."
What is the Ken-Betwa Link Project?
- The project involves the construction of the Daudhan Dam on the Ken river to take some of its declared "surplus" water to the Betwa river using a 221-km canal. It is officially touted as India's first river interlinking project, meant to address water scarcity in Bundelkhand.
- Critics, including a former member of the Forest Advisory Committee and a former Secretary of the Government of India, have alleged the project has been "plagued by sloppy, intentionally misleading and inadequate impact assessments, procedural violations and misinformation at every step."
- The government, on the other hand, maintains the project will enhance farmers' livelihoods through advanced irrigation techniques, resolve the water crisis, and reduce migration for employment.
The government had announced compensation, but corruption was so rampant that it never reached the tribals. More than 2 million trees will be cut down. Over 6,500 families will be displaced, and they are not being given proper compensation. “Have you bought us for 1200? We don’t want this.” One of the protesters said. 24 villages will be impacted, 8 villages will be submerged in water
When their demands were ignored, they took to the streets to protest. The police then cut off their ration and water supply, and imposed Section 163 in the area. Collector Parth Jaiswal gave order. The administration thought that hunger, thirst, and exhaustion would break the protest. Yet, even in the scorching heat, these tribals are fighting for their rights, hungry and thirsty, refusing to give up.
These women in the scorching sun with their children lay on “chita” (funeral pyre). It means their life is much worse than life.
Villagers are engaging in several other symbolic protests to convey the gravity of their situation:
- Jal Satyagraha: Large numbers of villagers have stood in the Ken River for hours, protesting that the very river the project is named after has become the reason for their displacement.
- Mitti Satyagraha (Soil Protest): Protesters hold soil from their fields, pledging never to abandon their ancestral land.
- Escalation of Tactics: The agitation has included "Chulha Band" (no cooking) protests involving entire families, and plans for a symbolic hanging demonstration to signify that losing their livelihood renders life meaningless.
Cutting thousands of trees in the name of development and destroying habitats has become a norm for this government. Something similar was seen in the Narmada River project, especially the Sardar Sarovar Dam, which displaced nearly 2.5 lakh people across Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, with more than half being tribal communities
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This book is a primary, in-depth account featuring interviews with Adivasi leaders Keshavbhau and Kevalsingh Vasave. It documents the movement from the perspective of the people affected by the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
