The 12-hour shutdown was called over the detention of Siang dam protesters, poor road conditions and demands for improvements in Arunachal Pradesh’s healthcare services
Itanagar: The 12-hour bandh called by the Public Rights Action Committee (PRAC) brought the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) to a standstill on Wednesday, beginning at 5 am despite an official order declaring the shutdown illegal.
PRAC General Secretary Millo Ambo said the committee’s primary demand was the release of people detained under the Arunachal Pradesh Public Safety Act following protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Pasighat.
The committee has also demanded improved healthcare facilities, including adequate pharmacists, ambulances and hearse vans, better fuel allocation and a drug testing laboratory to ensure the quality of medicines supplied in the state.
Another major demand concerns the poor condition of National Highway 415 in the capital region. Ambo criticised the highway’s condition and alleged that several residential colony roads were better maintained.
The bandh was scheduled to continue until 5 pm. Ambo warned that PRAC could intensify its agitation and extend the shutdown indefinitely across Arunachal Pradesh if its demands remained unaddressed.
The shutdown proceeded despite a November 3 order issued by Capital Complex District Magistrate Toko Babu under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), directing organisers and others to refrain from enforcing or participating in the bandh.
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