A formal case has been registered in Madhya Pradesh against ‘activist’ Medha Patkar, who gained notoriety as a result of the “Narmada Bachao Andolan,” in a cheating case. Medha Patkar and several others have been accused of misusing funds in the name of educating tribal children. An FIR has been lodged in Madhya Pradesh’s Barwani against Medha Patkar and 11 others in this regard.

"Being the first trustee, Medha Patkar along with her other known and unknown associates has misled the public on a large scale with the view that she is a dedicated social worker," a statement from the FIR read. Speaking about the misused funds, the FIR adds, "The amount has been misused by them on some other political/national anti-national agenda."

In the FIR, Pritam Raj, the complainant, accused Patkar of embezzling more than Rs 13 crore on the pretext of funding educational opportunities for tribal children. The complaint also alleged that Patkar had misappropriated funds since she did not have accounts for all of the donations collected for the education of the tribal poor between 2007 and 2022.

According to the FIR, Medha Patkar raised more than Rs 13 crore through the ‘Narmada Navnirman Abhiyan’ foundation. She has been accused of inciting anti-government sentiment by soliciting donations for education.

In addition to Medha Patkar, the FIR names Parveen Romu Jahangir, Vijaya Chauhan, Kailash Avasya, Mohan Patidar, Ashish Mandloi, Sanjay Joshi, and others as accused.

Medha Patkar is best known for her ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ against the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river. The protest contributed to the years-long postponement of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project on the Narmada River. So-called social activists and environmentalists like Medha Patkar expressed concern as soon as the construction of the project started. When Medha Patkar visited the project site in 1985, she accused that the dam had fallen short of the social and environmental requirements set forth by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

For suspected money laundering during the “Narmada Bachao Andolan,” the Enforcement Directorate (ED)  filed an FIR against activist Medha Patkar on April 5 this year. In addition to the ED, investigations into Patkar’s shady dealings have also been initiated by the Department of Revenue Intelligence and the Income Tax Department.

According to a Pioneer report, Patkar’s NGO received a donation of roughly Rs 1.2 crores within a year of its foundation in 2004 but managed to elude authorities for almost 17 years.

The investigation raised several concerns regarding the payments. According to records obtained by the Pioneer, the NGO received the funds on June 18, 2005, from 20 different sources in a single day. Surprisingly, the amount of all 20 donations was the same, which was Rs 5,96,294.  Pallavi Prabhaar Bhalekar, one of the donors, was a minor at the time the donations were transferred.

Medha Patkar Narmada Bachao Andolan

Sardar Sarovar project

India completed the construction of a highly ambitious and controversial dam on Sunday, nearly two decades after it launched the project environmental groups say will destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands.

Authorities hailed the completion of the Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat state as an answer to the thirst, irrigation, and power needs of millions in the vast, parched regions in the west of the country.

“India has leaped ahead. The dam will change the future of the country,” said Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat, after the last bucket of concrete was poured on the wall of the $7.7 billion dams.

The Sardar Sarovar is the centerpiece of the multi-billion dollar Narmada Valley development project that taps the Narmada, India’s fifth-largest river, through a series of dams, reservoirs, and canals.

Authorities say the dam will connect an 86,000 kilometer (50,000 miles) network of canals and help irrigate 1.8 million hectares (4.5 million acres) of farmland and provide drinking water to 20 million people in Gujarat and the neighboring states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

“Despite all odds, we have completed the dam. It will fulfill promises and will take India ahead,” said P.K. Laheri, head of the Sardar Sarovar project.