Police arrest Medha Patkar on her way to Dhar district to meet Sardar Sarovar Project oustees

Police on Wednesday arrested Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar when she was on her way to Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh to meet Sardar Sarovar Project oustees.

"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," Ajay Sharma, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Indore range, said.

After arrest, Medha was immediately taken to Dhar district jail.

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, and subsequently, taken to Dhar, 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.

Subsequently, Patkar was produced before a sub-divisional judicial magistrate at Dhar who sent her to jail.

Patkar (62) and 11 others were forcibly removed from Chikhalda in Dhar on August 7, where they were staging an indefinite fast demanding a proper rehabilitation of the oustees, and were admitted in different hospitals.

With PTI inputs