Four people have been placed under preventive detention in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district after violent incidents linked to protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, while several anti-dam activists have also been taken into police custody in nearby areas.
The Upper Siang district administration issued detention orders against Adum Tayom of Kumku village, Omak Paron and Okut Paloh of Ramku village, and Oson Paron of Geku under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014. The orders were issued after officials assessed the law-and-order situation in the region as “tense and volatile”.
According to an official release issued by Upper Siang deputy commissioner Ashok Tajo, tensions have continued for about four months during resistance to pre-feasibility report activities for the proposed mega hydropower project. The administration alleged that organised violence had intensified in recent weeks, with public and private property damaged, homes destroyed and government vehicles burned. It also said multiple first information reports had been registered at Yingkiong police station.
The district administration said opposition to the proposed dam and the maintenance of law and order were separate issues. It warned that violence carried out under the guise of anti-dam protests would not be tolerated, while calling on residents to raise their grievances through peaceful dialogue.
The detentions have drawn criticism from local community leaders. Tagori Mize, spokesperson for the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum, questioned what the group described as the administration’s high-handed approach. Mize said that arrests could make meaningful dialogue more difficult, particularly when local communities were seeking answers about the project’s potential social and environmental effects.
The latest action follows the arrest of two activists, Tagar Taga and Tatin Tabin, in Boleng. They were taken into custody on Thursday and are being held at Pangin police station, according to the report. Police sources said standard procedures were followed and that the families of those arrested were notified.
There were also reports of five anti-dam activists being taken into custody in Pasighat. Their associates alleged that they had not been informed of the activists’ exact whereabouts. East Siang police officials were unavailable for comment on those detentions, leaving that aspect of the operation without a response from the district police in the material available.
The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project has become a major point of contention between state authorities and affected indigenous communities. Protesters have demanded transparency, comprehensive public consultation and clarity on the project’s socio-environmental footprint. The state government has maintained that the ongoing pre-feasibility report exercise is exploratory and is intended only to assess the project’s viability. It has said the exercise does not amount to a final decision to construct the dam.
The immediate dispute therefore involves two parallel questions: how authorities respond to alleged violence and how communities are included in decisions about a large infrastructure project. The Upper Siang administration’s stated next step is to maintain public order while urging residents to pursue their grievances through peaceful dialogue. The government’s position on the project remains that any construction decision will follow the exploratory pre-feasibility process.
