Itanagar, Oct 25: The Centre has rushed around 250 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) Rapid Action Force (RAF) to violence-hit Arunachal Pradesh, stepping up security in the Siang Valley even as protesters demand the removal of central forces from the region.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed on Saturday that two RAF companies be airlifted from Navi Mumbai aboard an Indian Air Force transport aircraft.
The personnel are expected to reach Pasighat and be deployed by Sunday, officials said.
The deployment adds to the existing presence of CRPF units in violence-affected areas. Arunachal Pradesh also has a permanent deployment of around two to three CRPF battalions.
The fresh deployment follows violence in East Siang district on Friday night, after a 12-hour bandh called by organisations opposing the proposed project.
Although the shutdown remained largely peaceful during the day in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts, unrest broke out in Pasighat after the bandh ended and continued until around 3.30 am on Saturday.
According to police officials, a mob set fire to an NHPC office and a police station and vandalised the residences of three political leaders, including the state BJP chief, in East Siang district.
Reacting to the violence, Chief Minister Pema Khandu, on Saturday, condemned the attacks and urged protesters to pursue their demands through dialogue rather than shutdowns.
He reiterated that the government remained open to negotiations and that the project would proceed only with public consensus.
The reinforcement comes days after Chief Minister Khandu agreed in principle to reduce security deployment in the valley and withdraw FIRs registered in connection with protests against a proposed hydropower project.
Earlier on October 13, Khandu had said the government had agreed in principle to reduce the deployment in the Siang Valley and withdraw FIRs linked to the protests.
NHPC has been entrusted with preparatory work for the proposed hydropower project, which has faced sustained opposition from sections of local communities over concerns about ancestral land, livelihoods, environmental impacts and indigenous rights.
With inputs from PTI