CPM leader Brinda Karat’s visit to Ajaygarh in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna district has brought renewed attention to protests by tribal residents affected by the Ken-Betwa and Majhgawan dam projects. The protesters are seeking clarity on displacement, compensation and land rights, while allegations made during the visit require independent verification.
Karat met tribal protesters on Monday and expressed support for their agitation, according to a report by Times of India. Speaking to the media, she alleged that the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Madhya Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav were using bulldozers against tribal communities and forcibly evicting residents from their land.
The report did not provide independent documentary evidence for those allegations, and the claims could not be independently verified. It also did not include a response from the Union government, the Madhya Pradesh government, the district administration or the agencies responsible for the dam projects.
Karat also questioned the arrest of tribal activist Divya Ahirwar. She alleged that cases were registered against Ahirwar under Section 307 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the provision relating to attempt to murder, after the activist raised the displacement issue at a conference in Delhi. The supplied report does not establish the circumstances of the arrest, the contents of the police case or whether a court has examined the allegations.
Karat further alleged that police personnel entered villages without identifying themselves and harassed women and their family members. These claims, too, remain unverified in the available account. No police response or statement from the local administration was cited in the report.
The protests centre on the consequences of the Ken-Betwa and Majhgawan dam projects for affected tribal communities. The dispute reflects the administrative questions that accompany large infrastructure projects: how affected households are identified, how compensation is calculated and delivered, and how land and livelihood rights are addressed before residents are displaced. The available report does not specify the number of affected families, the status of rehabilitation, the compensation amounts involved or the legal basis for any evictions.
Social activist Amit Bhatnagar, CPM state secretary Jaswinder Singh, Dharmendra Patel and district secretary Kesh Kumar Kushwaha were among those present at the meeting with protesters. The CPM said it would raise the issues of displacement, compensation and tribal rights from Bhopal to Delhi. Further reporting would need official records, police documents, project authorities’ rehabilitation details and responses from the affected administrations to establish the claims made during the visit.
