Assembly ban imposed in Upper Siang, protesters detained under UAPA

On October 11, the Upper Siang district administration issued an order prohibiting the assembly of five or more people amid intensifying protests against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). The order was issued two days after four protesters were detained under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014. Protests against the 11,000 MW hydropower plant turned violent earlier this month after Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s visit to the district. Residents of the Siang, Upper Siang, and East Siang districts have consistently opposed the development of the dam, which will submerge 27 villages, including Upper Siang’s district headquarters, Yingkiong. On October 13, three civil society groups — the Adi Banne Kebang United, Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum Youth Wing, and SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA) submitted a memorandum to the Upper Siang District Collector condemning police atrocities and demanding the immediate release of those arrested for protesting. Police allegedly lathi charged protesters on October 4, days after protesters set fire to vehicles and stormed an MLA’s house. The memorandum demands the unconditional release of protesters from police custody, the “immediate and complete withdrawal of Central Armed Police Forces from Siang and Upper Siang,” a halt on all studies being done to determine the dam’s viability in the area, and the quashing of all legal proceedings against protesters. “Failure to comply will compel the youth and public to escalate democratic agitation, for which the district administration and law enforcement authorities shall be held solely responsible,” says the memorandum, seen by Mongabay-India.…This article was originally published on Mongabay