Guwahati: The Bhumi Adhikar Joutha Sangram Samiti has condemned the alleged use of force against peaceful anti-dam protesters, including women and young people, in Arunachal Pradesh, demanding the release of four arrested local leaders and the scrapping of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
In a press statement issued on October 24, committee convenors Krishna Gogoi, Bidisha Barman and Subrata Talukdar said the use of force against peaceful demonstrators was unacceptable in a democratic society.
The committee said a 12-hour bandh was observed on October 23 across Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts following a call by several local organisations, including Adi Baane Kebang-United, the SUMP-Affected Areas Youth Council and the youth wing of SIFF.
According to the committee, the protest was organised against the arrest of local leaders opposing the proposed dam under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (APUAPA), 2014, as well as survey activities and plans for the project’s construction.
The committee expressed concern over the proposed 11,000-megawatt Siang dam, claiming it could displace thousands of families from their ancestral lands, cause irreversible damage to the fragile Himalayan ecosystem and threaten the livelihoods, cultural practices and existence of indigenous communities living downstream.
It also criticised the continuation of survey work for the project’s Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR), describing the government’s efforts to advance the project despite sustained opposition from local communities as undemocratic and repressive.
The committee urged the government to immediately release the four arrested Adi leaders and withdraw all cases registered against them. It also demanded that both the SUMP and the PFR survey process be halted and scrapped.
Further, the organisation called for an end to the alleged use of force against peaceful protesters and sought accountability for officials responsible for the use of tear gas and other measures during the demonstrations. It also opposed the use of stringent preventive laws to suppress dissent.
The committee insisted that no survey, assessment or project-related decision should be imposed on the region without the full support of local indigenous communities.
It further argued that concerns over geopolitical developments in neighbouring countries could not justify putting the lives and livelihoods of Indian citizens, their ancestral lands and rivers, or the ecologically sensitive region at risk.
The statement reiterated the committee’s demand for dialogue and respect for the rights of local communities in decisions concerning the proposed hydropower project.