Hundreds Detained as Police Clear Chita Andolan Protest Site; Amit Bhatnagar Taken into Custody
Bhopal : 19 July 2026
Police detained around 250–300 protesters early Sunday morning during a crackdown on the ongoing Chita Andolan, which has been demanding the rights of displaced communities and raising allegations of corruption in several irrigation projects, including the Ken-Betwa Link Project.
According to protest organisers, a large police contingent reached the demonstration site near the under-construction bridge over the Banala River, close to Kupi village, at around 5 a.m. and took several protesters into custody. Movement leader Amit Bhatnagar was also detained.
Sunday marked the 17th day of the Chita Andolan and the 14th day of Bhatnagar’s indefinite hunger strike.
Following the police action, Divya Ahirwar, a Bijawar Nagar Parishad councillor associated with the movement and an LLB student, released a video alleging that the administration acted because Bhatnagar was scheduled to make documents related to alleged corruption public later in the day.
Ahirwar described the police action as an attempt to suppress a democratic protest. She has previously led the movement during Bhatnagar’s earlier detention.
The protest has continued for over two weeks, with participants demanding transparency in irrigation projects and justice for families affected by displacement. Police have not yet issued a detailed statement regarding the detentions.
