Activist on hunger strike over Ken-Betwa river link project ends fast after 18 days

Activist Amit Bhatnagar, who had been on a hunger strike against the Ken-Betwa river linking project for 18 days, suspended his fast on Thursday (July 23, 2026) after the government’s assurance to include the people left out of the rehabilitation process. 

After breaking his fast, Mr. Bhatnagar said that he took the decision as several tribal women who had been part of the protest had also stopped eating since July 19 when the police forcibly took him to a hospital and dismantled the demonstration site on the banks of Barana river in Kupi village of Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district. He had been in the Chhatarpur district hospital since then and continued his fast.

“I am concluding my 18-day fast-unto-death today, having achieved the first success towards my objective. However, this struggle is far from over. From this day forward, I pledge to undertake a ‘Nyay Satyagraha’ (a struggle for justice). I will not rest until the very last eligible person affected by this project receives justice,” he said, adding that he decided on the request of his mother and women involved in the protest. 

He broke his fast at the district hospital by drinking coconut water in the presence of his family and fellow protestors. He will continue to be under medical observation in the hospital. 

Mr. Bhatnagar of Jai Kisan Sangathan had been on a hunger strike for 18 days and was leading the protest, where several people from Chhatarpur and Panna districts had been demonstrating since July 4 against the ₹44,000-crore project of the Union Government by tying nooses around their necks and lying on makeshift pyres in the river in a symbolic protest. They had also been protesting to demand improved compensation for the people being impacted by at least five projects of the Madhya Pradesh Government. 

However, in the wee hours of July 19, the M.P. Police dismantled the protest site and admitted Mr. Bhatnagar to a hospital. Officials had said that the action was taken due to rising water levels in Barana rivers following heavy rains in the region. 

Chhatarpur Collector Parth Jaiswal told The Hindu that the administration had been holding dialogues with Mr. Bhatnagar and other protestors, and has assured them that their complaints will be addressed. 

“We were constantly speaking to them. Both the districts have assured them that we will form a team to address all their complaints and if any people have been left out will be added to the compensation process,” Mr. Jaiswal said.

Mr. Bhatnagar also said that representatives of the Jai Kisan Sangathan will also part of the administration’s team. 

“I will travel from village to village to lead this movement, cooperate with every positive step taken by the administration, and monitor the fulfillment of every promise. If the need arises, subsequent phases of the agitation will also be launched,” he said. 

The dismantling of the protest site, that had grabbed national attention, came a day after the Delhi Police removed activist Sonam Wangchuk from his indefinite hunger strike at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar where he had been protesting over paper leaks in the country.