Photo Courtesy: nenow
Itanagar: A 36-hour bandh crippled Upper Siang, Siang, and East Siang districts on November 2, shuttering schools, markets, and businesses. The Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum and the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project Affected Area Youth Association organized the shutdown. It began at 5 am. Mobile internet services were suspended across Upper Siang as tensions flared.
Protesters demand the immediate release of activists detained during recent clashes and the withdrawal of paramilitary forces. They also seek an end to survey activities for the 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. Upper Siang Deputy Commissioner Ashok Tajo confirmed the impact was most severe in Yingkiong and Geku. Siang Superintendent of Police Kamdam Sikhom reported no disruptions in his district.
The movement highlights deep-seated fears regarding the potential submergence of 27 villages and the loss of ancestral land. The Adi community views the river as Aane Siang, the lifeblood of their culture. Representatives at an online press conference claimed security personnel have used excessive force. Dubit Siram of the forum alleged that an elderly woman sustained two fractured ribs during a police lathi charge while traveling to her farm. Siram stated, "Our forefathers protected this land against the British. We are proud Indians, yet we are being treated as though we do not belong to this country."
Siram further alleged that one individual in Geku faces 19 separate FIRs. He claimed that nine village headmen were fired or suspended for opposing the dam. Local groups argue the government is using national security to justify the project against China’s planned facilities on the Yarlung Tsangpo. The state government maintains the current operations are merely preliminary feasibility assessments. Officials insist no final construction decisions exist. Regardless, indigenous leaders remain firm in their opposition to the surveys and the increased military presence in the valley.
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