GUWAHATI: Anti-dam protests in Arunachal Pradesh spread from the Siang region to Upper Subansiri district on Monday, with sporadic violence reported during a 12-hour bandh.
At least one two-wheeler was set on fire, a constable was reportedly injured in an attack on a police vehicle, and another police vehicle was damaged. An office linked to National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited was also vandalised.
The incidents occurred in Daporijo, the headquarters of Upper Subansiri district, which shares a border with China. Bandh supporters erected barricades and burnt tyres to prevent vehicular movement.
The bandh, which severely disrupted normal life, was called by student bodies led by the All-Tagin Students’ Union and other local organisations to oppose the proposed 1,605 MW Subansiri Upper Hydroelectric Project, locally known as Menga Dam.
Following the violence, a proposed public hearing for the project was cancelled.
Residents, led by student organisations, are demanding the withdrawal of the NHPC-backed project over concerns about its potential environmental impact, livelihoods and indigenous rights and interests.
In the Siang region, protests are directed against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). The Centre envisages the project, which is expected to generate 11,000 MW of power, as a counter to a 60,000 MW Chinese hydropower project.
East Siang district remained tense following widespread violence on Friday night. Mobs set fire to an NHPC office and vehicles parked on the premises of a police station, and vandalised the houses of three politicians, including two MLAs, in the district headquarters of Pasighat.
Clashes between protesters and security personnel were also reported, leaving several people injured.
Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita remained in force in parts of the district, while the government strengthened security in vulnerable areas.
Rapid Action Force personnel flown in from Navi Mumbai have been deployed in the Siang region, alongside Central Reserve Police Force companies mobilised from Assam.
