The Centre has initiated urgent arrangements to airlift around 250 personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) from Navi Mumbai Airport in Maharashtra to Pasighat Airport in Arunachal Pradesh following violent protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
According to the report, the Ministry of Defence has been requested to arrange suitable Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft on priority to transport two companies of the RAF to Arunachal Pradesh. The deployment is intended to strengthen security and enable personnel to carry out operational duties amid the prevailing situation.
The report also indicated that additional security personnel could be deployed depending on how the situation develops and the operational requirements.
The move comes after violence broke out in Pasighat and adjoining areas of East Siang district following protests against the proposed hydropower project. Government and public properties were reportedly targeted during the unrest, prompting the administration to impose restrictions on public gatherings and tighten security.
The latest escalation followed a 12-hour bandh observed on October 23 across Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts to oppose the proposed 11,200-megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.
According to the report, violence was reported in Pasighat on Friday night and continued into the early hours of Saturday. The office of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) was reportedly set on fire, while a police station, police vehicles and several other properties were attacked or damaged.
The residences of Arunachal Pradesh BJP president Kaling Moyong and legislators Ninong Ering and Oni Panyang were also reportedly targeted. The office of Adi Baane Kebang, a prominent organisation representing the Adi community, was vandalised during the unrest.
The incidents raised security concerns, prompting authorities to step up measures to prevent further violence and restore normalcy. The East Siang district administration imposed prohibitory restrictions in Pasighat, Mebo and Ruksin following the violence.
The restrictions prohibit gatherings of more than five people and bar rallies, marches and public meetings without prior written permission. The administration has also prohibited the carrying of weapons and objects that could be used as weapons.
The proposed deployment of RAF personnel is expected to strengthen the security response as authorities monitor the situation and assess the need for further deployment.
The protests stem from opposition to the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project on the Siang River, one of the largest proposed hydropower developments in the region.
Sections of the local population have expressed concerns over the possible submergence of inhabited areas, displacement of residents, environmental consequences, and the impact on ancestral lands and indigenous communities.
Opposition groups have also raised objections to preliminary survey activities linked to the project and demanded the release of arrested activists, along with a review of the ongoing process.
The Siang River enters India from Tibet and flows through Arunachal Pradesh before joining the Brahmaputra River system. The river holds ecological, economic, and cultural significance for communities in the region, making concerns over the proposed project a major point of contention between its opponents and authorities seeking to advance the development.