Photo Courtesy: nenews
Itanagar: Rakhini Mipi, a rifleman with the 24th Assam Rifles and a well-known RTI activist, turned up dead Sunday in Hunli. His body hung in an Army transit camp bathroom near the Circuit House. Authorities discovered the remains at 7:10 am.
Mipi arrived in Hunli on October 3. He traveled with his unit for an Armed Forces warfare exercise in Anini scheduled for October 4. Inspector Mohon Mili, officer-in-charge at the Hunli police station, confirmed the find. Lower Dibang Valley police sent the body to Roing for a post-mortem exam before releasing it to the family.
"A case of unnatural death has been registered at Hunli Police Station, and the matter is under investigation," said SP Ringu Ngupok. Investigators have not ruled out foul play. They plan to interview family members to determine the cause of death.
Mipi built a reputation challenging local government projects and alleged corruption. He frequently questioned works under the Jal Jeevan Mission throughout the Dibang Valley. He also fought the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, citing concerns over the dam and the pre-feasibility process. On August 10, he turned to social media to protest the electoral roll revision. Mipi claimed that enrolling non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes threatened local representation.
Updated at 8th October 2026 at 9:50pm
Mipi had also taken his fight to the courtroom. He filed a petition with the National Green Tribunal in Kolkata targeting the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and the EPC contractors building NH-313. He claimed the project violated environmental laws.
Regarding the electoral roll issue, Mipi specifically flagged the Special Intensive Revision process in Dibang Valley. He warned that the enrollment of non-APST individuals could trigger future gerrymandering in the region.
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