The 12‑hour bandh that began on Friday night in Pasighat, Siang and Upper Siang districts morphed into a violent outburst as protesters dismantled an NHPC office, a police station and the Adi Baane Kebang complex by dawn Saturday.
Stone‑pelting injured four police officers, while the residences of MLA Oken Tayeng, senior legislator Ninong Ering and BJP state president Kaling Moyong were ransacked, leaving the region in a state of alarm.
At a press conference in Itanagar, Pema Khandu denounced the vandalism and reiterated that while dissent is allowed, it must stay within legal limits. He urged the parties that called the shutdown—Adi Baane Kebang United, SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum Youth Wing and Adi Galo Welfare Society—to sit across the table.
The groups demand release of ten arrested activists, reinstatement of suspended Gaon Burhas, halt to pre‑feasibility surveys and withdrawal of paramilitary forces. Khandu said the government will meet stakeholders in Itanagar, Pasighat or any location of their choosing, promising a transparent dialogue to resolve the controversy.