The 15-day-long satyagraha against the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other regional irrigation schemes came to an end after Madhya Pradesh Police removed protesters from the demonstration site on Sunday.

The agitation, held on the banks of the Barana river near Kupi village in Chhatarpur district, was led largely by tribal women and project-affected families who alleged inadequate rehabilitation, forced displacement and a lack of transparency in the implementation of the Ken-Betwa Link Project, along with the Runjh and Majhgaon irrigation schemes.

Activist Amit Bhatnagar, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike, was leading the protest. Demonstrators had also launched 'jal satyagraha', 'chita satyagraha' and a symbolic 'faansi satyagraha' as part of their campaign.

The Ken-Betwa Link Project, India's first river interlinking project under the National Perspective Plan, aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken river to the Betwa river to improve irrigation and drinking water supply across the drought-prone Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

While the project has been projected by the government as a major development initiative, sections of project-affected families and environmental groups have opposed it, citing concerns over displacement, rehabilitation and its impact on forests and wildlife, including parts of the Panna Tiger Reserve.

The Chhatarpur district administration has maintained that the affected families are entitled to rehabilitation benefits and has said the state government sanctioned an additional Rs 202.5 crore for rehabilitation while increasing assistance from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh per eligible family.

Officials had also urged protesters to return home and complete the rehabilitation process through the district administration.

The protesters, however, alleged that earlier assurances remained unfulfilled and demanded greater transparency in identifying project-affected families and implementing rehabilitation measures.

With the police removing demonstrators from the protest site, the satyagraha has now ended, though the issues surrounding displacement and rehabilitation remain at the centre of the dispute.