Indigenous rights groups and Gen Z demonstrators call for the cancellation of the 11,200 MW project and withdrawal of cases against detained activists
Siang: Protests against the proposed 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) intensified across Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, as indigenous rights activists, local residents and Gen Z youth demanded the project’s cancellation and the release of detained protesters.
Demonstrators wearing traditional tribal attire marched with placards reading “No Dam Over Siang” and “Immediate Cancellation of Siang Upper Multipurpose Project”. Protesters also called for the unconditional release of detainees and withdrawal of cases filed against them, describing the agitation as a peaceful movement to protect indigenous communities and their future.
The protests follow a series of detentions linked to opposition to pre-feasibility report surveys and violence during a bandh in Pasighat on October 23. Police said 26 people, including five juveniles, had been arrested in connection with the violence, while six others were detained for questioning. Eight criminal cases were registered.
On October 9, the Upper Siang district administration ordered the preventive detention of four residents under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014. Activists Ebo Mili, Otul Jerang and Tajong Talom were also reported to be in police custody following the Pasighat violence.
Mili and Jerang reportedly began a hunger strike on October 26, prompting concerns from their families about their health and access to medical care.
Opposition to the project centres on concerns over environmental damage, displacement and the potential loss of ancestral lands. The SUMP Affected Area Youth Association and the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum have demanded a halt to survey work and the withdrawal of security personnel from the valley.
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