Mobile internet services have been suspended in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district as a 36-hour bandh against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) entered its second day on November 3. Called by the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF) and SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA), with support from student and community groups, the shutdown covers Upper Siang, Siang and East Siang.
Protesters are demanding the release of people detained during earlier demonstrations, suspension of the ongoing pre-feasibility report (PFR) survey and withdrawal of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) from project-affected areas.
They fear the proposed project could submerge villages, displace communities, affect agricultural land and disrupt traditional livelihoods. The government, however, says the project remains at the feasibility-assessment stage and that no final decision on construction has been taken. Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said the government will move forward only after considering the aspirations and interests of local communities.
Bandh Disrupts Life
The shutdown began at 5 am on November 2 and its impact has been strongest in Upper Siang. Shops, petrol pumps and other businesses remained closed in Yingkiong and adjoining areas, while vehicles stayed off the roads during the initial hours of the bandh. Schools and government offices were also affected in several locations. Essential services, medical emergencies and academic activities were exempted from the shutdown. The impact was more limited in Siang district, while East Siang saw partial disruption, according to local reports.
Mobile internet was suspended in Upper Siang, including areas such as Yingkiong, Simong, Komkar and Geku. Authorities cited the need to prevent the spread of misinformation through social media amid heightened tensions. The administration had also declared the bandh illegal and maintained a security presence in the affected areas. In East Siang, the Mebo Banggo Students’ Union separately observed a 12-hour shutdown in support of the agitation.
Protesters’ Key Demands
The immediate trigger for the latest shutdown is the detention and arrest of people involved in earlier protests against the SUMP. SAAYA said an emergency meeting on October 29, attended by representatives of project-affected villages, decided to call the bandh if those detained were not released by November 1.
Alongside their demand for the release of detainees, the organisations want the PFR survey halted and security forces withdrawn from areas where the survey is being conducted. SIFF and other community organisations allege that survey activities have proceeded without adequate consultation with affected communities. SIFF spokesperson Tagori Mize told The Indian Express that the lack of information and consultation had contributed to a loss of trust in the state government. These are allegations made by the protesting groups and have not been independently established.
Why Communities Oppose
Much of the opposition is rooted in concerns over potential displacement and the loss of land, forests and livelihoods. Protest groups say 27 villages could face submergence, while several dozen others could experience wider impacts if the project eventually goes ahead. Because SUMP is still at the PFR stage, these figures should be understood as projected impacts cited by opponents rather than confirmed outcomes of an approved dam project.
The Siang River has particular cultural and economic importance for the indigenous Adi community. It supports agriculture and traditional livelihoods and is deeply connected to the community’s cultural identity. Opponents argue that altering the river on the scale envisaged by SUMP could therefore have consequences extending beyond physical displacement, including impacts on customary practices and the relationship between communities and their ancestral land.
Project Still In Study
The proposed SUMP is an 11,200-MW hydropower project on the Siang River and remains at the preliminary feasibility stage. The government maintains that the ongoing PFR is an assessment to determine the project’s technical and other feasibility and does not amount to a final decision to construct the dam. The Centre had also informed Parliament in 2024 that the project was at the preliminary investigation stage and would require the necessary environmental clearances before construction.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu has sought to reassure the Adi community amid the protests. On Monday, he said the concerns of local people would be addressed through “open dialogue, transparency and meaningful public consultation” and that the government would move ahead only after considering their aspirations and interests.
He has also argued that the project needs to be assessed in the context of China’s planned hydropower development on the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, which enters India as the Siang.
October Violence Escalated
The latest bandh follows violent incidents during an October 23 protest in Pasighat, East Siang. Government property and residences of political leaders were reportedly vandalised, while an NHPC office and a police station were set on fire. Authorities subsequently imposed prohibitory restrictions and increased the deployment of security forces. At least 26 protesters were arrested following the October 23 violence, according to The Telegraph, while other reports have cited higher figures when arrests and preventive detentions are combined.
The arrests have become a central point of contention in the current agitation. Protest organisations argue that the arrests and deployment of security personnel have further aggravated tensions, while the government has defended security measures as necessary to prevent a repeat of the violence.
State minister and Pangin MLA Ojing Tasing said the government would continue with the PFR while preparing the ground to ensure that incidents such as those in Pasighat do not recur.
Development Versus Consent
The dispute has now evolved beyond a disagreement over a proposed dam. For the government, the SUMP is also linked to energy security and strategic concerns arising from China’s upstream hydropower plans. For many local residents and indigenous organisations, however, the immediate question is whether decisions affecting their land and livelihoods are being taken with sufficient consultation and transparency.
The competing positions make a transparent process particularly important. A feasibility study is not the same as approval for construction, but communities have a legitimate interest in knowing what is being studied, what its potential consequences could be and how their concerns will influence subsequent decisions.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Siang dispute shows why development cannot be reduced to a choice between infrastructure and opposition. A project of this scale may have genuine energy and strategic considerations, but communities who could bear its social and environmental costs must be given clear information and a meaningful voice in the process. At the same time, protests must remain peaceful, and vandalism or attacks on public property cannot replace democratic dialogue.
The government’s assurances will carry greater weight if consultation is transparent, evidence-based and sustained rather than limited to statements after tensions rise. Can the government and the communities of the Siang Valley build enough trust through dialogue to find a path that respects both India’s development needs and the rights, livelihoods and cultural identity of the people who call the valley home?
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