ITANAGAR, Oct 23: At least four women were injured during a clash between police and protesters opposing the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, prompting security personnel to fire tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
The confrontation occurred at Dite-Dime near Geku in Siang district during a 12-hour bandh against the proposed 11,200 MW project. Siang Superintendent of Police Kamdam Sikhom said around 150 to 200 protesters from Geku and Komkar in Upper Siang district gathered at the site around 7 am.
According to the police, the protesters allegedly tried to breach barricades, damage police vehicles and throw stones at security personnel. They were reportedly carrying machetes, lathis and slingshots. Sikhom said the protesters violated prohibitory orders and attempted to damage police barricades, adding that legal proceedings had been initiated in the presence of an executive magistrate.
Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, while four injured women were taken to hospital, an officer said. Protesters, however, claimed that several people were struck by tear gas shells and suffered breathing difficulties.
Authorities said the bandh remained peaceful in other parts of Siang and Upper Siang districts. The shutdown affected normal life across both districts and parts of East Siang, with shops and business establishments closed and residents largely remaining indoors.
The bandh was called jointly by Adi Bane Kebang United, SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum Youth Wing and Adi Galo Welfare Society. The organisations demanded the release of 10 arrested activists, reinstatement of suspended gaon buras, withdrawal of pre-feasibility activities for the project and removal of paramilitary and central forces from the region.
The proposed project has faced opposition from sections of local communities over concerns about its potential impact on land, livelihoods and the environment. The Arunachal Pradesh government has maintained that the project is intended primarily to store and regulate water in the Siang basin, particularly in view of concerns over China’s proposed mega dam upstream.
