OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Amid protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), Geku police outpost officer-in-charge Sub-Inspector Nagom Mingki has appealed to residents not to obstruct police vehicles during bandhs, rallies and demonstrations.
In an appeal to the people of Geku, Katan and Komkar, Mingki said police personnel stationed in the area were serving their own community and were responsible for maintaining peace and enforcing the law, irrespective of the controversy surrounding the project.
He said officers deployed from other areas might leave after completing their assignments, but personnel posted at Geku had to continue serving local residents and responding to criminal cases and law-and-order issues.
Acknowledging residents' emotional attachment to their land and their concerns over the project, Mingki said police personnel understood their distress but had a duty to maintain peace.
He clarified that his appeal did not concern the movement of security forces deployed from outside the area. Instead, he urged residents not to obstruct Geku police personnel travelling to and from their duty locations during protests. "We are your own people, serving our own community," Mingki said, calling for public cooperation to maintain peace amid continuing opposition to the SUMP.
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