India

SAAYA Demands Shutdown in Three Arunachal Districts Over Siang Project Arrests

By PTI

The SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA) has called for a shutdown on November 2 in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh to protest the arrests of people who are agitating against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. In a letter to the Bogum Bokang Welfare Society (BBWS), which represents the Bogum Bokang‑Tuting area, SAAYA urged the society to support the shutdown. The letter, addressed to the BBWS president, noted that an emergency executive meeting held on October 29 with representatives from the affected villages had unanimously decided to launch the shutdown in coordination with the Siang Indigenous Farmer Forum, other community‑based organisations, youth groups and residents. SAAYA said the shutdown is intended to protest the arrests of participants in the movement against what it calls a forced survey and the deployment of central armed police forces in the project‑affected areas. The association described the arrests as an attempt to suppress the legitimate voices of indigenous communities opposing the project and urged BBWS to cooperate and guide the movement along peaceful and democratic lines. It framed the agitation as a struggle to protect ancestral land, the Siang River and the future of coming generations, linking the issue to the preservation of the Adi community’s identity. SAAYA called for unity among organisations and residents of the Siang region and reiterated its commitment to a peaceful and democratic movement.

The proposed shutdown comes amid escalating tensions over the 11,200‑MW SUMP, a mega hydropower project planned on the Siang River. The project, envisioned as one of India’s largest hydropower initiatives, has faced sustained opposition from sections of the indigenous Adi community, especially residents of the proposed project‑affected areas. Opposition stems from concerns about the submergence of ancestral villages, displacement, loss of agricultural land and forests, and disruption of traditional ways of life. Reports indicate that 27 villages could be submerged and several dozen others may be affected. The project also has strategic significance for the Centre, which views it as important in the context of China’s proposed massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, which enters India as the Siang.

Tensions intensified in September and October after resistance to the proposed pre‑feasibility report surveys grew. Protesters objected to the deployment of security personnel to facilitate survey and investigation activities, arguing that the affected communities had not given consent. The situation worsened after incidents of violence during protests, including attacks on vehicles and public property. The administration subsequently initiated arrests and preventive detentions, and security deployment was stepped up. On October 11, the Upper Siang district administration imposed prohibitory restrictions on the assembly of people amid the unrest. Several organisations demanded the release of detained activists, withdrawal of security forces and suspension of ongoing survey activities. The state government maintains that the current exercise is only a preliminary feasibility assessment and does not constitute a final decision to construct the dam. The Centre informed Parliament in August 2024 that the project was at the preliminary investigation stage and that environmental clearances would be required before construction could begin. The latest shutdown call by SAAYA signals a further escalation of the agitation, with community organisations seeking to consolidate opposition across the three districts.