Four women were injured during a 12-hour bandh in Arunachal Pradesh on October 23, as anti-dam protesters clashed with security personnel over the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.
A 12-hour shutdown paralyzed normal life across the Siang, Upper Siang, and parts of East Siang districts as local communities mobilized against the mega-dam initiative. Markets and business establishments remained shuttered while residents stayed indoors during the protest.
Clash at Dite-Dime Bridge
The confrontation erupted around 7:00 a.m. at Dite-Dime near Geku, where roughly 150 to 200 demonstrators from the Geku and Komkar areas gathered to participate in the strike. Security forces deployed tear gas shells to disperse the crowd after protesters attempted to breach barricades.
According to official accounts, individuals in the crowd carried machetes, lathis, and slingshots, throwing stones at security personnel and damaging police vehicles. Siang Superintendent of Police Kamdam Sikhom stated that protesters violated prohibitory orders and attempted to vandalize security barricades, prompting legal action initiated in the presence of an executive magistrate.
Discrepancies emerged regarding the total number of casualties sustained during the operation. While official reports confirmed that at least four women suffered injuries and required hospital admission, alternative accounts from the Daily Pioneer placed the injury total at seven, including six women and one man, following an escalation near the Dite Dime bridge around 8:30 a.m. Protesters counter-alleged that law enforcement personnel broke vehicle windshields, threw stones, and used excessive force, leaving demonstrators struggling to breathe from tear gas exposure.
Demands from Coalition Groups
The shutdown was jointly organized by a coalition of regional bodies, including Adi Bane Kebang United, the SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum Youth Wing, and the Adi Galo Welfare Society.
The organizations outlined specific demands directed at the administration, pressing for the immediate release of 10 detained activists and the reinstatement of suspended village headmen known as gaon buras. Organizers also called for the complete withdrawal of pre-feasibility studies related to the hydropower initiative alongside the removal of deployed paramilitary and central forces.
Dispute Over Siang Multipurpose Project
Opposition to the 11,200-MW scheme stems from deep-seated local anxieties concerning ecological destruction, the potential displacement of ancestral villages, and long-term damage to the Siang Valley. Estimates suggest that as many as 27 villages could face displacement if the development moves forward.
State authorities have defended the ongoing assessments, maintaining that current surveys and pre-feasibility studies are strictly designed to evaluate project viability rather than signal final construction approval. Government officials also argue that the undertaking is necessary to store and regulate water resources within the Siang basin, particularly given strategic concerns regarding China’s upstream mega-dam proposals.