Itanagar, Oct 24: Protesters clashed with the police during a 12-hour bandh against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, prompting security forces to fire tear gas shells to disperse the agitators, officials said.
The bandh was called from 5 am in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts against the proposed 11,200 MW power project.
At least four women were injured in a clash between police personnel and protesters at Dite-Dime near Geku in Siang district when around 150-200 agitators, carrying machetes, lathis and slingshots, tried to vandalise police vehicles and breach barricades and hurled stones at security personnel, they said.
Siang SP Kamdam Sikhom said, “Around 150 to 200 protesters from Geku and Komkar areas in Upper Siang district gathered at Dite-Dime in Siang around 7 am in support of the bandh. They attempted to vandalise police barricades, hurled stones and violated prohibitory orders.”
Lawful action was initiated against them in the presence of the executive magistrate, the SP said. “The police had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Four women were injured in the clash and admitted to a hospital,” another officer said.
Protesters claimed that several of them were hit by tear gas shells and experienced breathing difficulties. The SP maintained that the bandh was observed peacefully in other places in Siang district.
In East Siang, violence broke out near the Ranaghat Bridge at Mebo when protesters hurled stones at police personnel and the law enforcers lobbed tear gas shells, officials said. Several people sustained injuries, and at least seven vehicles have been damaged, they said.
A cameraperson of a local news channel was also reportedly injured after a tear gas shell hit his leg, sources said. East Siang SP Pankaj Lamba did not respond to repeated calls.
The shutdown to protest the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project disrupted normal life across Siang and Upper Siang districts and parts of East Siang, with shops and business establishments remaining closed and residents largely staying indoors. Upper Siang Deputy Commissioner Ashok Tajo said the bandh was observed peacefully.
The bandh was jointly called by Adi Bane Kebang United, SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum Youth Wing and Adi Galo Welfare Society. These organisations are demanding the release of 10 arrested activists, reinstatement of suspended ‘'gaon buras’ (village headmen), withdrawal of all pre-feasibility activities, and removal of paramilitary and Central forces deployed in the region.
The Arunachal Pradesh Government maintained that the proposed project is primarily aimed at storing and managing water in the Siang basin, particularly in view of concerns over China’s proposed mega dam on the Siang river upstream.
Meanwhile, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) demanded an independent inquiry into the use of tear gas against protesters during the bandh. The Congress also sought medical assistance for the injured and urged the State Government to initiate dialogue with affected communities, stressing that development must respect indigenous rights, legal safeguards and public consultation.
The latest confrontation comes amid heightened tensions over the proposed project.
On October 13, Chief Minister Pema Khandu agreed in principle to reduce security deployment in the Siang Valley and withdraw FIRs registered in connection with the protests, following a meeting with the Adi Baane Kebang Youth Wing and the Adi Students’ Union.
The two organisations had sought the measures as confidence-building steps to facilitate dialogue.
PTI