Activist Amit Bhatnagar on Friday ended his 18-day hunger strike over displacement and rehabilitation issues linked to the Ken-Betwa river linking project and other irrigation schemes in Madhya Pradesh after his mother persuaded him to break the fast.
Bhatnagar ended his fast with coconut water after returning to his hometown, Bijawar, in Chhatarpur district, following his discharge from hospital.
"He was not keeping well. Our mother made him break the fast after he reached home," Bhatnagar's brother Ankit told PTI.
Chhatarpur Collector Parth Jaiswal said Bhatnagar was shifted to his hometown on Thursday after his health improved. He had been admitted first to Bijawar Civil Hospital and later to the ICU of the district hospital after police removed him from the protest site.
Police dispersed the protest at Kupi village on July 19, citing rising water levels in the Barana river during the monsoon. Bhatnagar had then told PTI that his fast would continue.
The agitation began on July 3 beneath an under-construction bridge over the Barana river. Protesters demanded an inquiry into alleged irregularities in rehabilitation and compensation for families displaced by the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other irrigation schemes, along with statutory rights for those affected.
They also alleged large-scale corruption in rehabilitation packages and sought an impartial probe.
Bhatnagar had claimed that on the day the administration cleared the protest site, he was preparing to present documents to the media alleging irregularities worth Rs 400 crore.
Before he ended his fast, Jai Kisan Sangathan, which participated in the agitation, alleged that Bhatnagar's family, journalists, social activists and fellow protesters were not allowed to meet him during his hospitalisation.
The organisation also claimed that women in several villages had launched a "chulha bandh" (no-cooking) protest in solidarity with the movement.
The organisation quoted Bhatnagar as saying that his agitation was not directed against any individual, political party or government but sought to protect the constitutional, environmental and legal rights of tribal communities and project-affected families.
He also described the administration's decision to undertake a fresh survey and constitute a joint inquiry team as a positive step, saying it would be a significant outcome of the agitation if implemented fairly and transparently.
Collector Jaiswal said most complaints raised by the protesters related to villages in neighbouring Panna district, while the protest was being held in Chhatarpur.
"If there is any complaint relating to Chhatarpur district, it should be submitted to us. It will be duly examined and necessary action will be taken. If they have a list of affected persons, they can also provide it to the administration," he said.
The Rs 44,605-crore Ken-Betwa Link Project, the country's first river-linking project under the National Perspective Plan, aims to irrigate 1.062 million hectares of land, provide drinking water to about 6.2 million people and generate hydropower in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region spanning Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
(With inputs from PTI)
