The Centre has ordered the deployment of two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force’s Rapid Action Force to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh after violence broke out during protests against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.
Around 250 RAF personnel were being airlifted from Navi Mumbai in an Indian Air Force transport aircraft following directions from the Union home ministry, officials told Deccan Chronicle. The personnel were expected to reach Pasighat and be deployed on Sunday.
The RAF is the CRPF’s specialised anti-riot unit. Several CRPF units are already stationed in the violence-hit areas, while Arunachal Pradesh has a permanent deployment of two to three CRPF battalions. Officials said CRPF personnel had helped contain the unrest since Friday and prevent further escalation.
Several police and central forces personnel were injured in the violence, according to the report. Arunachal Pradesh Police said a mob torched an NHPC office and a police station and vandalised the residences of three political leaders in East Siang district on Friday night. The leaders included the state BJP president.
The violence followed a 12-hour bandh across Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts against the proposed hydropower project. The bandh was linked to opposition to the planned Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, a proposed 11,200-MW infrastructure development in the region.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the bandh had remained largely peaceful but that violence erupted in Pasighat after it ended and continued until 3.30 am on Saturday. He described the incidents as regrettable and appealed for peace.
Khandu said peaceful protest was an essential part of democracy but stressed that demonstrations must remain within the law and should not damage property or disrupt public order. The administration’s immediate response has therefore focused on restoring order in areas affected by the clashes while additional central forces are moved into Pasighat.
The deployment places the proposed project at the centre of a wider security and public-order response across the Siang region. The supplied report does not provide details of any revised project timeline, compensation framework, rehabilitation plan or further consultations with residents. The next steps will depend on the security situation and the authorities’ handling of the continuing opposition to the project.
