Madhya Pradesh, India - Deep in the tropical forests of Panna Tiger Reserve, one of central India's richest ecological corridors, about 30 women in bright sarees gathered at the base of an unnamed bridge over the Barna River. They sat on unlit funeral pyres—a symbol of the fate they believe awaits them: no home, no land, nowhere to go if forced to relocate without fair compensation.
The protest, called Chita Andolan (the funeral pyre movement), took place on a damp July morning as monsoon rains turned the laterite roads to mud. The women moved quietly, some pulling sarees over their faces, others staring ahead with determined eyes. Behind them, husbands and fathers in white cotton stood silent. There were no rituals, no solemn hush—only slogans echoing through the rain: "Inquilab Zindabad" (Long live the revolution) and "Nyay do ya maar do" (Give us justice or kill us).
Leading the protest was Amit Bhatnagar, 43, alongside villagers. But the focus was on the women—those considered to bear the brunt of this displacement crisis. Gyan Rani Gond, 50, moved slowly, her face etched with anger as she sat down on the pyre. She spoke not a word.
Their villages lie in the path of the proposed Daudhan Dam, the centerpiece of the Ken-Betwa river-linking project—the first of its kind in India. The project will submerge 10 settlements in and around the Panna Tiger Reserve, displacing an estimated 7,000 families.
The concern is that despite Indian laws protecting the rights of affected people, compensation provisions are being overlooked. The women claim they have received no clear commitments for alternative land and livelihoods, leaving them no choice but to protest by sitting on pyres as a final warning.
The protest has drawn national attention, raising questions about the balance between infrastructure development and protecting the rights of indigenous people and the region's fragile ecosystem. While the government views the project as key to addressing water scarcity in central India, protesters insist that justice for them must come first.
