Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu on Saturday urged people to maintain peace and resolve differences through dialogue after protests against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project turned violent in East Siang district, where a mob allegedly torched an NHPC office and a police station and vandalised the residences of political leaders.
Several police personnel, including Pasighat Deputy Superintendent of Police Tony Tatak, were injured after protesters allegedly pelted them with stones in Pasighat on Friday night, officials said.
The violence erupted around 11 pm, hours after a 12-hour bandh called by organisations opposing the proposed hydropower project ended. The unrest continued until around 3.30 am on Saturday, according to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
The agitators vandalised the residences of BJP state president and former MLA Kaling Moyong, Pasighat West MLA Ninong Ering, and MLA Oni Panyang, according to the CMO. The office of the Adi Bane Kebang, the apex body of the Adi community, was also ransacked, officials said.
Authorities are assessing the extent of the damage caused by the arson and vandalism, Tatak said.
The violence followed clashes between protesters and police during the bandh in Siang district on Friday. Security forces fired tear gas shells to disperse demonstrators who allegedly attempted to damage police vehicles, breach barricades and pelt personnel with stones, officials said. Clashes were also reported near Ranaghat Bridge in Mebo.
The shutdown was jointly called by the Adi Bane Kebang United, SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum Youth Wing and Adi Galo Welfare Society.
The organisations are demanding the release of 10 arrested activists, reinstatement of suspended gaon buras (village headmen), withdrawal of all pre-feasibility activities related to the project and removal of paramilitary and central forces deployed in the region.
Following the violence, the East Siang district administration imposed restrictions on public gatherings, processions and the carrying of weapons in Pasighat, Mebo and Ruksin, citing apprehensions of further vandalism, arson and threats to public safety.
The order, issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, will take effect at 5 pm on Saturday and remain in force until withdrawn or modified, East Siang Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Jayanti Pertin said.
The order prohibits gatherings of more than five people, vandalism, destruction of public or private property, intimidation and violence. It also bars the carrying of weapons, including firearms, ammunition, daos, bows and arrows, daggers, knives, axes and lathis, except by authorised security personnel on law-and-order duty.
Processions, rallies, marches and meetings will require prior permission and written approval from the competent authority.
Expressing concern over the incidents, Khandu said peaceful protest was an essential part of democracy but stressed that demonstrations must remain within the bounds of the law.
In a statement issued by the CMO, the chief minister said the bandh in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts had remained largely peaceful, but violence broke out in Pasighat after it ended.
Khandu urged organisations and community representatives to participate in discussions on the proposed project, offering to meet them in Itanagar, Pasighat or any other location convenient to them. He also offered to visit a place proposed by stakeholders along with officials from the departments concerned.
He said public consensus would remain central to the government's approach and encouraged residents to raise questions about the project's potential benefits and adverse impacts through dialogue.
The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee condemned the violence and demanded an independent inquiry into the use of tear gas shells against protesters during the bandh.
Amid the unrest, the state government appealed to the public to avoid unverified rumours, misleading claims and fake news about the proposed project. It urged people to rely on official notifications, press releases and authorised channels for information.
The 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project has faced opposition from sections of local communities over concerns about its potential impact on the Siang river basin and indigenous populations.
The state government has maintained that the project is primarily intended to store and regulate water in the Siang basin, particularly amid concerns over China's proposed mega dam on the river. It has also cited national water and energy security, flood management in the Siang-Brahmaputra basin and long-term socio-economic development as objectives.
According to the government, activities currently underway are limited to technical and environmental surveys for preparing a pre-feasibility report to assess the project's viability. It has said that the rights, land security, welfare, and cultural heritage of local communities and project-affected families remain central to its evaluation.
(With agency inputs from PTI)
