Arunachal Protesters Rally Against Siang Project, Demand Activists' Release

Protests against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project intensified in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, with demonstrators demanding the release of detained activists and withdrawal of cases linked to the anti-dam agitation.

Young people and indigenous rights activists took part in the rally, carrying placards and raising slogans against the project. Some protesters were dressed in traditional tribal attire.

The demonstrators said their immediate demand was the unconditional release of those in custody. They also called for the withdrawal of cases registered in connection with the protests.

The agitation comes amid tensions over pre-feasibility report surveys for the proposed hydropower project and police action against those opposing it.

On October 9, the Upper Siang district administration ordered the preventive detention of four residents under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014. They were identified as Adum Tayom, Omak Paron, Okut Paloh and Oson Paron.

Tensions escalated during a bandh on October 23, when violence broke out in connection with the anti-dam agitation. Police subsequently reported 26 arrests, including five juveniles. Six other people were detained for questioning, and eight criminal cases were registered.

Anti-dam activist and human rights lawyer Ebo Mili, youth leader Otul Jerang and activist Tajong Talom were among those reported to be in police custody.

Mili and Jerang were reported to have stopped eating while in custody from October 26. However, East Siang Superintendent of Police Pankaj Lamba disputed the description of their action as a hunger strike, saying the two had eaten breakfast that day.

The protesters maintain that their opposition is driven by concerns over the possible impact of the project on ancestral land, indigenous communities and the Siang River. They have demanded that the proposed surveys be stopped and security personnel withdrawn from the valley.

The SUMP Affected Area Youth Association and the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum are among the groups opposing the project.

The immediate dispute centres on the surveys and the detention of activists, while concerns over displacement, land rights and environmental impact continue to drive the wider agitation.