Surendra Singh Choudhary, aka Bittu Tabahi, did something unthinkable and became a national hero. The 21-year old, a BSc student from Biaora in Madhya Pradesh, himself stepped into the polluted Ajnar River and started the cleaning work. The river was from heavy pollution and was full of plastic bottles, weeds and other waste. Bittu pulled out all the garbage with his own hands, without any help from a large clean-up team or heavy machinery. Online, he got the name ‘Bittu Tabahi’ for his remarkable work.His efforts eventually took him from the banks of a garbage-filled river to a meeting with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in Bhopal. While the world praised his efforts and he also received a job offer from an established firm, his meeting has now triggered a new conversation after YouTuber Dhruv Rathee accused the government of trying to take credit for Bittu’s work.But Bittu did not agree with Rathee’s words and politely responded to his remarksHis response was simple: “It’s not about taking credit. It’s about civic sense.”Bittu’s months-long missionBittu started his river-cleaning work on January 26, 2026. At that time the Ajnar River was in an extremely bad situation from continuous pollution. This was bothering him for some time, particularly the plastic, bottles, algae and other waste that had accumulated in and around the water body.But Bittu did not complain, he decided to start cleaning.As per reports he initially started the work with some friends, but the effort eventually became largely his own. He continued returning to the river and removing waste on his own. His before-and-after visuals and videos began circulating widely on social media. He often worked without proper protective equipment, handling waste and polluted material directly. Because of this, he contracted skin infections but his determination was beyond any medical condition.His story therefore became more than a simple before-and-after clean-up video.Then came the CM meetingAs Bittu’s story went viral, it reached the Madhya Pradesh government. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav called him to his residence and met him and his family in Bhopal. He publicly praised his determination.Yadav highlighted his initiative as an example of how meaningful change can begin with one person. The chief minister also assured him of government support for his efforts. A video of their interaction was subsequently shared on the CM’s social media account.For Bittu, the meeting was recognition of work that had already been going on for months.Dhruv Rathee calls it a ‘PR’ stunt and photoshootReacting to the video of Bittu’s meeting with the chief minister, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee questioned why the government had stepped in after the young man’s work became viral.In a comment reported by multiple publications, Rathee wrote: “Aa gaye credit lene.. Sara kaam ek ladke ne kiya aur jab viral hua toh use bula liya photoshoot ke liye…” He went on to question what the government was doing and alleged that it was “sirf PR” — public relations.The criticism centred on one question: if Bittu had been cleaning the river for months, why did official recognition come only after his work became a social-media talking point?It was a question that could easily have turned into another online political argument. However, Bittu’s response took the conversation to the real issue.Bittu’s turned it into the real question: ‘The issue here is civic sense’Bittu directly responded to Rathee
“Dhruv Bhaiya credit lene ki baat nahi hai, Govt. ne pehle bhi mere kaam ko appreciate kia hai,” he wrote. He then explained what he believed the real issue was: “Baat yaha civic sense ki hai.”Bittu said he wanted people to understand their own responsibility and come forward for cleanliness, just as he had.That response is perhaps the most interesting part of the entire episode.Bittu’s argument clearly states that it’s not the responsibility of the government alone to keep the environment clean. Nor is he saying citizens can simply ignore civic authorities. His point is that keeping a river clean cannot end with one clean-up drive if people continue throwing waste into it.The problem is here of Civic Sense
Bittu
Even after portions of the Ajnar were cleaned, reports noted that people had begun dumping waste again. The problem, therefore, is bigger than removing garbage once. It involves changing the behaviour that puts the garbage there in the first place.A river can be cleaned by one determined person. Keeping it clean requires many more.His efforts have also attracted recognition from the ace industrialist Anand Mahindra. Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of Netherlands-based The Ocean Cleanup, reportedly offered Bittu an opportunity to work with the organisation impressed by his work.And after becoming famous for cleaning it, he is asking people not to wait until another person has to clean it again and understand their responsibilities.