Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Protesters torched an NHPC office and two police vehicles in Pasighat on Friday. Tensions boiled over during a 12-hour bandh against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. The shutdown, which began at 5 am, crippled life across Siang, Upper Siang, and East Siang districts.
Security forces used lathicharges and tear gas to clear the streets. Protesters threw stones and breached police barricades at Dite-Dime. Siang SP Kamdam Sikhom said 150 to 200 demonstrators from Geku and Komkar gathered at 7 am. Police claimed the crowd violated prohibitory orders. Officers reported, “Four women were injured in the clash and admitted to a hospital.” Demonstrators countered that police fired tear gas shells indiscriminately. Multiple people, including a local news cameraman, suffered injuries. One reporter took a tear gas canister to the leg.
Violence spilled over near the Ranaghat Bridge at Mebo in East Siang. Officials confirmed seven vehicles were wrecked. Local groups including the Adi Bane Kebang United and the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum Youth Wing organized the protest. They demand the release of 10 arrested activists and the removal of central security forces. They also want the state to reappoint suspended village headmen and stop all pre-feasibility work on the dam.
The state government promotes the project as a strategic shield against Chinese dam construction upstream. However, Chief Minister Pema Khandu faces backlash for failing to honor an October 13 promise to release detainees and reduce security presence. The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee now demands an independent probe into the police actions. They argue the state must drop the confrontational approach and prioritize dialogue with local communities.
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