Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar was arrested on 9 August when she was on her way to Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh to meet the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) oustees, the police said.
"We have arrested her as she insisted on going back to meet the oustees. We have told her that it is not possible to allow her to go to Dhar as section 144, CrPc has been imposed in the area," said Ajay Sharma, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Indore range.
The police stopped Patkar and informed her that she could not proceed to Dhar, but as she refused to relent, she was placed under arrest at the border of Indore and Dhar districts, he added.
"We will ask her to furnish a bond stating that section 144 will not be violated. If she furnishes it, we will release her," the ADGP said.
She was arrested along with and 11 others were on Monday taken by the police to several hospitals from Chikhalda village of Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, where they had been sitting on an indefinite fast for the last 12 days.
There were earlier reports that suggested that they had been arrested. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, however, denied this:
Medha Patkar ji and her supporters have not been arrested; they have been admitted to a hospital on the advice of doctors.
Patkar, the founder of the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’, and her associates had launched the fast on 27 July, demanding “proper” rehabilitation and resettlement of those affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project.
All of them, including Patkar, were taken to hospitals by the administration as their health was deteriorating, Indore Division's Commissioner Sanjay Dube said, without disclosing which hospitals.
Moreover, Chouhan also said, as per an ANI report, that the state government had given an additional grant of Rs 900 crore to those displaced by the dam and that every effort would be made to ensure better facilities.
Patkar and her supporters were taken in different ambulances, Dube said, adding that six policemen suffered injuries in the process.
Thousands of families along the Narmada river in MP's Barwani, Dhar, Alirajpur and Khargone districts are at risk of getting displaced with the closing of gates of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in neighbouring Gujarat and the resultant rise in water level in its catchment area. The Centre recently gave the nod for closing the gates.
The water level in the catchment area reached 121.90 metres on Monday, nearing the danger mark set at 123 metres. The dam is likely to be filled to its capacity by August-end.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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