The proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh faces renewed opposition after the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee demanded the withdrawal of security forces from affected areas, the release of detained activists and a halt to project-related action until local communities give explicit consent.
At a news conference at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, former Lok Sabha MP and former APCC president Takam Sanjoy said the project had become a major dispute involving indigenous rights, public trust and democratic consent. He criticised the deployment of police and paramilitary personnel, the detention of local activists and administrative action against traditional village heads, known as gaon buras.
“Development cannot be built on fear, intimidation, and the erosion of indigenous rights. The people of Siang must have the final say over their land, rivers, and future,” Sanjoy said. He argued that development should not be assessed only through power-generation capacity or investment figures, but also through its effect on human dignity and social harmony.
The APCC submitted a 13-point charter of demands to the Centre and the Arunachal Pradesh government. It sought the withdrawal of security forces, the withdrawal of FIRs against peaceful protesters and the immediate release of four detained Adi activists: Adum Tayom, Omak Paron, Okut Paloh and Oson Paron.
The party also demanded the reinstatement of suspended gaon buras and government employees, along with a written undertaking from the state government and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation that the project would not proceed without explicit community consent. The demands place customary governance and the role of village institutions at the centre of the dispute.
The APCC further called for a complete freeze and an independent audit of the Rs 350-crore Special Development and Livelihood Package. It said the package should remain frozen until its guidelines and beneficiary lists are transparently verified by local Gram Sabhas. The party also sought the re-establishment of the traditional Kebang system, a customary institution intended to safeguard community governance.
Sanjoy said concerns over hydropower development in the region were not new, referring to objections raised by the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum between 2013 and 2015. While acknowledging national security concerns linked to China’s proposed upstream dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo, he said strategic considerations could not override environmental scrutiny and public consultation.
The dispute therefore involves more than the construction of a power project. It has brought security administration, customary institutions, welfare funding and consent procedures into the same conflict. The APCC warned that the confrontation in Upper Siang could lead to wider anti-dam protests across Arunachal Pradesh, although the supplied report does not establish whether such protests have begun elsewhere.
The party also alleged that welfare funds should not be used to divide communities or pressure vulnerable families into signing consent agreements. The report does not include responses from the Arunachal Pradesh government, the Centre or NHPC to the APCC’s demands.
APCC state president Bosiram Siram is expected to lead a delegation to submit a memorandum to the Governor, the chief minister and the chief secretary. APCC general secretary Kon Jirjo Jotham said the Congress would continue supporting affected communities through democratic and legal channels.
