New Delhi: Medha Patkar, social activist and founder of the ‘Narmada Bachao’ movement, book under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly misusing the funds collected in the name of education of the tribal children. The latest development came after an FIR was filed in Madhya Pradesh’s Barwani against 12 persons, including the activist, for the misuse of the funds.
In the FIR filed by plaintiff Pritam Raj, he accused Patkar, the trustee of the Narmada Navnirmaan Abhiyan, of allegedly obtaining over Rs 13 crore in the name of education of tribal children between the years 2007 to 2022. It is also reported that she used the funds against the government.
The other accused in the FIR has been identified as Praveen Rumi Jahangir, Kailash Avashya, Mohan Patidar, Vijay Chauhan, Ashish Mandaloyi, Sanjay Josi and others.
Who is Medha Patkar?
Medha Patkar is famous for her hunger strike in protest of the decision of the authorities to increase the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river. It is expected that the project displaced about 200,000 people from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
It is reported that the foundation stone of the project was laid by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961. The work on the project began in 1987.
The work on the dam was stopped in May 1995 after Medha Patkar started Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), which made her popular across the world.
However, the Supreme Court of India gave the approval to ramp up the height of the dam to 138 metres in June 2014. In February 2017, the apex court directed the government to provide a compensation of Rs 60 lakh for each of the 700 families expected to be displaced.