🦋

Eyes on the Ken-Betwa Adivasi Protests — UPDATES: - After 18 days, Jai Kisan Sangathan leader Amit Bhatnagar suspended his hunger strike. - He ended the complete fast after the state assured protesters that fresh village-by-village surveys would be conducted in Chhatarpur. - Joint teams of government officials and Jai Kisan Sangathan representatives are expected to recheck that eligible families affected by the Ken-Betwa Link Project were excluded from compensation and rehabilitation. - Bhatnagar has described this as the movement’s “first success,” not its conclusion. What is Nyay Satyagraha? - The struggle will now continue as Nyay Satyagraha - Bhatnagar plans to travel from one affected village to another to: // help families submit and pursue their claims // monitor the verification process // track whether the government fulfils every assurance - He has warned that the movement will enter another phase of agitation if these promises are not implemented. What is Nyay Upvaas? Bhatnagar has shifted from the indefinite hunger strike to a Nyay Upvaas (Justice Fast) - He will continue refusing food grains and roti until the last eligible family receives justice and their rightful demands. - His decision followed a serious deterioration in his health - Women in affected villages had also begun a chulha bandi, refusing to cook in solidarity with the protest elderly people and children had also started fasting. What has the government said? - The Madhya Pradesh government has not accepted the protesters’ entire case - It maintains (of course) that all affected families have already been sanctioned compensation and rehabilitation benefits - Ironically, the government’s own written response acknowledged that earlier village-level surveys in Chhatarpur identified 638 additional eligible families. This increased the sanctioned list from 3,080 to 3,718 families across 14 villages. The government also stated that 1,321 families across seven villages in Panna had been displaced. What are the Adivasi protesters sayings? - Eligible families were excluded from rehabilitation lists - Compensation assessments were flawed - Gram Sabha proceedings had irregularities - Benefits were given to some ineligible people while legitimate claimants were left out - The government denies that there has been a scam and says only a small number of cases remain unresolved because of documentation or banking issues What happens next? - Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that specific complaints will be investigated - He has said the verification exercise will be completed within one month. A fresh survey is a step, but not rehabilitation. The movement continues until every eligible family receives compensation, rehabilitation, land and statutory rights. Sources: Indian express, NDTV.