Agitations surrounding the rehabilitation and compensation package for villagers displaced by the Majhgaye and Runjh dam projects took a severe political turn in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district on Friday. Demonstrators led by Youth Congress state vice president Abhishek Parmar converged on the Hanumatpur police outpost, demanding immediate accountability for recent police action against protesting villagers. The atmosphere rapidly deteriorated when Parmar entered into an aggressive confrontation with the Ajaigarh police station in-charge, leading to heated arguments that culminated in pushing and shoving between the political leader and the police officer.
Three-Hour Siege Outside Hanumatpur Police Post
Congress cadres staged an intensive sit-in protest directly outside the Hanumatpur police post that lasted for nearly three hours. The protesters voiced fierce opposition to the alleged police lathi-charge carried out against displaced villagers earlier in the week and remained resolute in their demand for a formal first information report against the police personnel involved. Raising slogans against administrative heavy-handedness, party workers accused authorities of violating the basic rights of villagers displaced by dam projects. Police units maintained a tight vigil around the perimeter throughout the confrontation to prevent the situation from boiling over into wider public disorder.
Past Clash and Murder Attempt Charges Against 13 Activists
The immediate trigger for Friday's standoff originated three days earlier when police personnel arrived at Majhgaye to take activists Amit Bhatnagar and Divya Ahirwar into custody. That arrest attempt was met with intense local resistance, as villagers clashed with the visiting police contingent. The altercation intensified during efforts to detain Divya Ahirwar, leading to villagers and protesters launching an assault on the police personnel. In response to the escalating violence, police resorted to a baton charge to bring the situation under control, which resulted in injuries to several villagers. Police subsequently registered cases against 13 people, including Amit Bhatnagar and Divya Ahirwar, invoking serious charges including attempt to murder. Divya Ahirwar was taken into custody, whereas Amit Bhatnagar later surrendered at the police station alongside 8 associates.
Jitu Patwari Issues Ultimatum Over Police Case
During Friday's standoff at the police outpost, Abhishek Parmar placed a phone call to connect senior Congress leader Jitu Patwari directly with the police officers on duty. Patwari insisted that the police immediately register an official FIR regarding the baton charge on displaced villagers, warning that he would personally travel to the district and sit on an indefinite protest if the administration refused to act. While this telephone exchange was underway, tempers flared on the ground, prompting Abhishek Parmar to confront the Ajaigarh station in-charge directly and push the officer amidst chaotic scenes outside the outpost.
