Opposition to the proposed Siang mega dam has intensified in Arunachal Pradesh, with a youth organisation calling a shutdown across three districts on Monday over the arrests of protesters and the deployment of 30 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces in the region.
The shutdown was called by the SUMP Affected Area Youth Association after the state government missed a November 1 deadline to release more than 40 people arrested following violence in Pasighat on October 23 and subsequent attacks on security personnel in Siang and Upper Siang districts, according to a report by the Times of India.
The proposed 11,200MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, or SUMP, is at the centre of the confrontation. The project has faced resistance from communities in the affected area, where residents fear that its construction could submerge 27 villages and displace households along the Siang river.
SAAYA announced the shutdown after an emergency meeting of affected villages on October 29. The organisation had warned that a bandh would begin on November 2 if the arrested protesters were not released by the deadline. The call is being coordinated with the Siang Indigenous Farmer Forum, community organisations, youth groups and affected residents.
The immediate dispute involves both the arrests and the security response. The Times of India report said the state government had not taken a decision on releasing those detained as of Sunday. A police source was quoted as saying that the decision would be taken by the government, while confirming that no release decision had been made at that point.
The October 23 violence in Pasighat and later attacks on security personnel have deepened tensions around the project. The shutdown call now links the law-and-order response to the wider opposition to SUMP, making the project’s social and administrative consequences central to the dispute.
The Siang river is described in the report as central to the identity and everyday life of the Adi community. That connection has made opposition about more than the project’s installed capacity or power-generation potential. Residents and community organisations are contesting the effect of the proposed reservoir and related works on villages, livelihoods and a river landscape they regard as fundamental to their social and cultural life.
The shutdown also puts pressure on the state government to clarify its position on the arrests and the continuing deployment of security forces. The report does not indicate that the government has accepted SAAYA’s demand or announced a revised position on the project. The next immediate developments are expected to concern the bandh, the status of those arrested and the administration’s response to the demands raised by affected communities.
