The 11,200‑MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, aimed at generating electricity from the Siang River, has drawn fierce opposition from tribal communities in Arunachal Pradesh.
On Thursday, a diverse crowd of activists, tribal elders and rights groups marched through the Upper Siang district, brandishing placards and chanting slogans—some wearing traditional attire—calling for an immediate halt to the project’s surveys.
Ebo Mili, a human rights lawyer, alleges the recent detentions violate fundamental rights, while Superintendent Pankaj Lamba insists they were justified under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
During a bandh on Oct. 23, police arrested 26 people, including five juveniles, and filed eight criminal cases; the district court is set to review these orders on Nov. 15.
Mili and Otul Jerang, both 28, reportedly stopped eating while in custody, but the police dispute the claim, citing a breakfast that day.
The protest stems from fears that the dam will flood ancestral lands, disrupt the Siang River ecosystem, and displace indigenous communities; activists demand a halt to the surveys and withdrawal of all cases.
The state government has promised to investigate the arrests, but activists insist on immediate release; a judicial review is scheduled for Nov. 15, after which the project’s future remains uncertain.