The protests against the proposed highway project in Uttarakhand are just increasing in intensity, with more and more people coming together to appeal against the cutting of thousands of trees.
Over the past few days, protesters have gathered against the government for the proposed project of the widening of the Bhaniyawala–Rishikesh road. Now, supporters claim that this will improve connectivity, but environmentalists argue it comes at an enormous ecological cost.
This is because, to widen this road, more than 4,000 trees will have to be cut. Environmentalists have thus raised concerns over the impact this could have on the landscape of the area and the problems it could lead to. In the midst of this, one woman has been noticed, fervent in her anger against the project and recently went viral for shaving off her hair to show solidarity with the protest.
Who Is This Woman And Why Did She Go Bald?
The exact identity of the woman is not clear, but a Prameya News report on the activist claimed her name to be Manvi, and a resident of Uttarakhand.
Manvi is reported to be an environmental lover and activist who has been participating in the protests to save the trees along the highway project for a few days now. Yesterday, videos emerged of the activist getting her hair shaved off entirely, stating that she was doing this in protest of the planned felling of the trees.
In the video, she is seen saying, “Jo prithvi ka sringar hai, uske ped, agar unko ganja kar rahe ho, to auroton ko apne sir mundwa dene chahiye. Agar sach mein, pedo se itna pyaar hai aur dharti se itna pyaar hai, to apne sir bhi ganje karo sab ke sab. Ped to kuch bol nahi sakte, to main apna support pedo ko aise hi dikha sakti hun.”
(If you are making the trees, which are the beauty of the earth, bald, then women should shave their heads. If you truly love trees and the earth so much, then shave your heads bald, everyone. Trees can’t speak. So I can show my support to the trees this way. You can’t say anything to the government. You can’t say anything to anyone within the nation. So, you can at least shave your head. Here, I’ll have my way.)
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This is not the first time that she has been mentioned in relation to the ongoing protests against the tree felling in Uttarakhand. A few days earlier, a video of her went viral where she can be seen speaking with the media and appealing to the government not to go through with the cutting of the trees. In the video, she can be heard saying, “Hume nahi chahiye badi sadke. Nahi chahiye.”
Multiple activists have begin raising their voices against the felling of at least 3000 trees for the four laning of Bhaniyawala-Rishikesh highway in Uttarakhand. pic.twitter.com/uNj0pzCdDq
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) July 18, 2026
In another, she is addressing a worker cutting the trees, telling him that, “Teri aatma marr gayi hai? Apni maa pe chrui chala raha hai khada ho kar. Deshdhrohi ho tum sab. (Has your soul died? You’re driving a knife into your own mother. You are all traitors of the nation.)”
“Teri aatma mar gayi hai. Apni maa pe churi chala raha hai”
An activist repirmands a labourer deployed for felling of trees for the four laning of Bhaniyawala-Rishikesh Highway. https://t.co/sTu3hw4RWH pic.twitter.com/yXHwIcoC6H
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) July 18, 2026
While the unidentified woman’s video became the movement’s most recognisable image, the protests have been sustained by hundreds of local residents, volunteers, environmental groups and students.
The movement has also revived memories of Uttarakhand’s environmental legacy. Decades ago, villagers in the Himalayan region famously hugged trees during the Chipko movement to stop commercial logging. Today’s protesters say they are drawing inspiration from that same philosophy: that forests are not merely resources, but living systems that protect water, biodiversity and communities.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The New Indian Express, India Today, Prameya News
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Bhaniyawala Jolly Grant project, Chipko Movement, climate change, deforestation, elephant corridor, environmental concerns, forest conservation, heatwave india, infrastructure, NH-07, NHAI, Rajaji Tiger reserve, rishikesh, Rishikesh tree felling, sal trees, supreme court, tree felling, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, Uttarakhand protests
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