Arunachal: Protests Against Siang Dam Turn Violent, NHPC Office, Police Station Set Ablaze, MLAs Resident Vandalise
Anti-dam protests against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) turned violent on Friday night in Pasighat, with demonstrators setting fire to an NHPC office, a police station, and several police vehicles,
PASIGHAT- Anti-dam protests against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) turned violent on Friday night in Pasighat, with demonstrators setting fire to an NHPC office, a police station, and several police vehicles, while also vandalising and ransacking the residences of local MLAs and the state BJP president.
The unrest followed a 12-hour bandh called by organisations including the Adi Bane Kebang United, SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum Youth Wing, and Adi Galo Welfare Society across Siang, Upper Siang, and East Siang districts.
Protesters demanded the release of about 10 detained activists, reinstatement of suspended village heads (gaon buras), a halt to pre-feasibility report (PFR) surveys and related activities, and the withdrawal of security forces.
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Local communities have long opposed the NHPC-led project over fears of displacement, ecological damage, loss of ancestral land, and impacts on indigenous livelihoods, while the state government has framed the project in the context of water management and concerns related to upstream developments on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Siang) in Tibet.
The bandh was largely peaceful during the day in Pasighat. However, tensions had already escalated earlier that morning at Dite-Dime near Geku in Siang district, where around 150–200 protesters from Upper Siang (including Geku and Komkar areas) allegedly attempted to breach police barricades, pelted stones, and violated prohibitory orders.
Police fired tear gas shells, injuring at least four women who were hospitalised. Siang Superintendent of Police Kamdam Sikhom described the action as taken in the presence of a magistrate after announcements, following attempts to damage barricades and obstruct personnel.
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After the official bandh ended at 5 pm, a group of protesters—some described as calling themselves “Gen Z”—continued the shutdown, blocked the highway, and refused to disperse despite persuasion by the local magistrate and security forces for about two hours. The magistrate then ordered tear gas. Video viral in Social media showing that the crowd responded with stone-pelting, injuring several police personnel and officials, before escalating to arson and vandalism around 11 pm and into the early hours of Saturday.
Pasighat Deputy Superintendent of Police Tony Tatak, who was himself injured, said the NHPC office in the High Region area and a police station in the same area were set on fire, with authorities assessing the full extent of damage. Protesters also torched seven to eight police vehicles.
The crowd, vandalised the residences of Pasighat West MLA Ninong Ering, Mariyang-Geku MLA Oni Panyang, and Arunachal Pradesh BJP state president (and former Pasighat East MLA) Kaling Moyong. The office of the Adi Bane Kebang, the apex body of the Adi community, was also ransacked.
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The situation remained tense until around 4 am on Saturday and was brought under control by Saturday noon, with no arrests reported in connection with the night’s violence as of that time. Eight protesters sustained minor injuries and received first aid.
East Siang Deputy Commissioner Jayanti Pertin confirmed the sequence: the daytime bandh was peaceful in Pasighat, the post-5 pm continuation by hundreds of protesters led to highway blockage and inconvenience, tear gas was used after failed persuasion, stone-pelting followed, and then the NHPC office, police station, and vehicles were targeted and burnt, along with damage to the homes of the BJP state president and the two MLAs.
No immediate detailed public statements from MLAs Oni Panyang, Ninong Ering, or BJP president Kaling Moyong were widely reported in initial coverage, though the Chief Minister publicly acknowledged the attacks on their residences.
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Chief Minister Pema Khandu strongly condemned the violence on Saturday and called for dialogue. He stated: “I strongly condemn such violent protests and urge everyone who has concerns regarding the SUMP project to come and sit for talks instead of resorting to such means. Protesting is a democratic right, but should be done within limits and without causing harm or damage to anyone or properties.”
The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee condemned the violence and demanded an independent inquiry into the use of tear gas against protesters. Police also dismissed some circulating social media claims, including a false report of a death from tear gas, as fake news.
The incident has heightened long-standing tensions over the SUMP, which remains at the preliminary investigation and pre-feasibility stage. Authorities have stressed the need to address local concerns while the opposition continues to call for a complete halt to survey activities and greater consultation with affected indigenous communities. The situation in Pasighat was reported under control by Saturday afternoon, with security presence heightened.
