An organisation representing the Adi community in Arunachal Pradesh has demanded an inquiry by a sitting judge into the police action against protesters opposing the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Pasighat on October 23.
In a representation submitted to Governor K T Parnaik, the Adi Baane Kebang United (ABKU) also sought stringent action against the police personnel and magistrate on duty during the incident at Raneghat Tinali. It warned of a democratic movement if its demands were not addressed within 14 days.
The organisation alleged that security forces used tear gas shells and stun grenades against youths who were peacefully sitting after a 24-hour protest. Several protesters reportedly sustained injuries and were admitted to Bakin Pertin General Hospital.
ABKU claimed that the youths were not associated with groups that had called for a shutdown across East Siang, Siang and Upper Siang districts against the project’s pre-feasibility report being prepared by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
It alleged that the protesters were dispersing when security personnel intervened, describing the action as unwarranted. The organisation also condemned subsequent vandalism targeting the NHPC office, a police station and the residences of two MLAs, although it attributed the violence to anger triggered by the police action.
ABKU said it had submitted video footage of the incident and the threatening audio message circulated on social media to Lok Bhavan as supporting evidence.
The proposed 11,200-MW SUMP is envisaged as a major hydropower and water-storage project on the Siang River. While the state government has cited water security, flood moderation and power generation as its objectives, sections of the indigenous Adi community have opposed the proposal over concerns about displacement, submergence of ancestral villages and environmental damage.
The government has maintained that the ongoing pre-feasibility report would assess the project’s technical viability and does not constitute an immediate commitment to its construction. The October 23 incident and subsequent violence have further intensified tensions surrounding the project.
