The All Adi Youth Association (AAYA) on October 6 demanded the immediate withdrawal of Central Armed Police Forces and state police personnel deployed in Siang and Upper Siang districts, alleging that the heavy security presence has heightened tensions in areas affected by the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
Addressing a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club, AAYA secretary (IPR) Okut Tali said the deployment of large numbers of security personnel had created law-and-order concerns in places such as Sitang and Riga, where opposition to the project’s Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) studies has intensified in recent weeks.
The demand comes in the wake of recent clashes between protesters and security forces in Riga and Ugeng, in which several demonstrators and CRPF personnel were reportedly injured.
Tali also challenged the state government’s claim that a majority of project-affected families had accepted the proposed dam project and signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). He argued that the continued protests and confrontations in the affected areas raise questions about the level of public support for the project.
According to the AAYA leader, the Adi community has traditionally resolved disputes through customary institutions such as the Kebang, and the deployment of armed forces is not the appropriate way to address concerns surrounding the project.
Instead, he called on the government to establish a mechanism for peaceful dialogue with affected communities to resolve differences through consultation rather than coercion.
AAYA further alleged that the MoUs cited by the government do not reflect the views of all 27 villages likely to be affected by the project. Tali claimed that consultations and consent-gathering exercises were conducted selectively and, in some instances, outside the villages concerned.
The organisation also demanded the reinstatement of several gaon burahs who were suspended by the district administration for their alleged involvement in anti-SUMP protests.
Additionally, AAYA called for the withdrawal of FIRs filed against protesters in Siang and Upper Siang districts, alleging that the cases infringe upon citizens’ constitutional rights to protest and express dissent.
The demands come amid an ongoing standoff over the proposed SUMP, a hydropower project with a planned capacity of more than 10,000 MW. While sections of the indigenous Adi community continue to oppose the PFR studies and the deployment of security forces, the state government has maintained that the PFR is only a preliminary technical assessment and not a final decision on the project’s construction.
