UKHRUL: Tensions remained high in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday following violent protests in Pasighat against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) rushing two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force’s Rapid Action Force (RAF) to the state, reported the Week.
The two companies, comprising around 250 personnel each, are scheduled to be airlifted from Navi Mumbai aboard an Indian Air Force transport aircraft for deployment in Arunachal Pradesh. Several CRPF units are already stationed in the region.
Meanwhile, Ebo Mili, an advocate and anti-dam activist, and Otul Jerang, a youth leader, surrendered at Pasighat Police Station on Saturday afternoon in connection with cases registered following arson and vandalism during the Gen Z-led protests against the proposed 11,000 MW hydropower project on the Siang River.
Following their surrender, Jerang maintained that the protesting youth had no role in the recent mob violence, while Mili condemned the destruction of public property and said their decision to surrender was intended to urge demonstrators to maintain peace.
The violence followed days of protests against the proposed dam and demands for the release of detained anti-dam activists. On October 22, a 24-hour peaceful sit-in was organised in Pasighat, demanding an immediate halt to pre-feasibility reports (PFRs) and surveys, the release of detained activists, the quashing of related FIRs and the withdrawal of Central Armed Police Forces, The Arunachal Times reported.
The demand for the release of detained activists follows the reported detention of 10 members of the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF) from Geku village on October 9. The forum represents Adi community agriculturists who have opposed the proposed project, citing concerns that the dam could submerge ancestral lands and displace local communities, Maktoob Media reported.
Several anti-dam organisations, including the Adi Bane Kebang-United, the SUMP-Affected Youth Association, SIFF and the Adi Galo Welfare Society, subsequently called a 12-hour bandh across Siang and Upper Siang districts on October 23.
The bandh was marked by escalating tensions near Dite-Dime in Siang district, where more than 200 protesters from Upper Siang allegedly attempted to enter the area while carrying machetes, lathis, slingshots and other objects, according to police reports cited by The New Indian Express.
Police alleged that the protesters attempted to damage barricades, obstruct personnel deployed at the location and pelt stones at security forces. Personnel reportedly fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
According to Maktoobmedia however, people on the ground said that the protest, which was peaceful as the youth gathered with their demands, turned violent after the security forces used tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
The New Indian Express reported that four to five police and CRPF personnel were injured in stone-pelting, while at least four women experienced breathing difficulties after exposure to tear gas and were admitted to a hospital.
The confrontation escalated after a group of Gen Z protesters decided to continue the agitation beyond the 12-hour bandh, which was observed across Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts. The ensuing violence left both protesters and security personnel injured.
Protesters allegedly torched six police vehicles near Raneghat Bridge and set fire to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation’s (NHPC) office in Pasighat. They later stormed the Adi Bane Kebang’s (ABK) office near Pasighat airport, broke down doors, vandalised office equipment and assets, and burnt files and documents belonging to different wings of the organisation, The Arunachal Times reported.
The protesters subsequently gathered at Pasighat Police Station, where they allegedly damaged a portion of the boundary wall and set fire to seized vehicles kept within the premises.
The unrest also spread to the residences of state BJP president Kaling Moyong, Pasighat West MLA Ninong Ering and Mariyang-Geku MLA Oni Panyang. Protesters reportedly ransacked structures and damaged household property at the leaders’ residences.
According to The Arunachal Times, the protesters’ anger was reportedly linked to the leaders’ support for the proposed mega dam and their efforts to persuade villagers to back the project.
Following their surrender, Jerang and Mili maintained that the protesting youths were not involved in the recent mob violence, while condemning the destruction of public property and said their decision to surrender was intended to appeal to demonstrators to maintain peace.
Mili, who is also active in human rights issues in the state, said the bandh across Siang, East Siang and Upper Siang districts was called to demand the release of activists detained during earlier anti-dam protests and protest the alleged excessive use of force by security personnel near Dite Dime in the Geku area.
According to Mili, reports that security personnel had used tear gas against demonstrators near Geku, leaving women injured, triggered anger among protesters. He said he, Jerang and other Adi youths decided to continue the agitation, which had initially remained peaceful.
Mili alleged that tensions in Pasighat escalated after nightfall when security personnel used a stun grenade and tear gas against demonstrators, triggering panic and anger that led to stone-pelting and clashes.
He said protest leaders repeatedly appealed to demonstrators to stop throwing stones, but their appeals went unheeded. As the situation deteriorated, the leaders withdrew from the protest site and decided to call off the demonstration, he claimed. Mili also alleged that police personnel later moved away as a large crowd gathered.
Mili said he had returned home when he received information at around 2 am that a police station was being set ablaze. He claimed he rushed to the spot and tried to persuade the crowd to stop the arson, but was unsuccessful. He subsequently contacted the deputy superintendent of police, he said.
Reacting to chief minister Pema Khandu’s remarks on the unrest, Mili questioned what he described as the selective focus on the violence in Pasighat. He said incidents of violence had also occurred near Geku and alleged that the developments there should not be overlooked.
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The unrest comes amid intensifying opposition to SUMP, with tensions mounting since September, when the Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet approved the constitution of an Empowered High-Level Committee to guide and coordinate the PFR survey and associated activities for the project in Siang and Upper Siang districts.
The state government has maintained that the PFR is an initial technical assessment and does not constitute final approval for construction of the dam.
On October 2, Khandu said the PFR must be completed before any decision on construction could be taken, adding that affected communities would have a say in the eventual decision. He said the government could not force the project on people without public consent and that the immediate focus was on the technical assessment rather than construction.
Khandu also appealed to residents to allow the PFR process to proceed, maintaining that there would be sufficient time for public consultation and decision-making afterwards. He said he had invited SIFF for dialogue amid continuing opposition to the project.
The chief minister has defended SUMP as a strategic response to China’s proposed 60,000 MW Medog hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which flows into Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang. He has warned that China’s upstream project could affect downstream water security through reduced winter flows or sudden water releases.
Khandu has said SUMP is designed with 9.2 billion cubic metres of live storage, which the government believes could help regulate floods and strengthen national water security.
However, sections of the local population continue to oppose the project, citing concerns over the potential submergence of ancestral lands, displacement and the impact on local livelihoods. Protesters have also demanded that surveys and pre-feasibility work be halted until their concerns and demands regarding the detained activists are addressed.