Twenty-six people, including five juveniles, have been arrested in Arunachal Pradesh following violence on October 23 during protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). Among those arrested are lawyer-activist Ebo Mili and youth leader Otul Jerang, who have both begun hunger strikes in police custody.
Eight cases have been registered concerning the incidents. Investigations are ongoing, with six others detained for questioning. Protests intensified on October 23 during a bandh opposing the project, with demonstrators demanding a halt to pre-feasibility report activities, release of detainees, and withdrawal of deployed security forces.
The 11,200-megawatt SUMP is proposed for the Siang river, the main channel of the Brahmaputra. The government cites strategic response to China’s hydropower plans and water security. However, the project faces sustained opposition from local groups who fear displacement, land submersion, and ecosystem damage in a seismically active Himalayan region. Resistance to Siang dam proposals dates back to the 1980s.
Source: Down To Earth