The SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA) has called for a shutdown in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh on November 2 to protest the arrests of those agitating against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
ITANAGAR — The SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA) has called for a shutdown in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh on November 2 to protest the arrests of those agitating against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
SAAYA wrote a letter to Bogum Bokang Welfare Society (BBWS), which represents the Bogum Bokang-Tuting area, urging it to extend its support to the shutdown.
In a letter addressed to the BBWS president, SAAYA said its emergency executive meeting, attended by representatives of the affected villages on October 29, unanimously resolved to launch the shutdown in coordination with the Siang Indigenous Farmer Forum (SIFF), other community-based organisations, youth groups and affected residents.
The association said the proposed shutdown was intended to protest the arrests of people participating in the movement against the alleged forced survey and deployment of central armed police forces (CAPFs) in the project-affected areas.
SAAYA said the arrests amounted to an attempt to suppress the legitimate voices of indigenous communities opposing the project.
The association urged BBWS to extend its cooperation and guide the movement along peaceful and democratic lines.
Describing the agitation as a struggle to protect ancestral land, the Siang River and the future of coming generations, SAAYA said the issue was also closely linked to the preservation of the identity of the Adi community.
The association called for unity among organisations and residents of the Siang region, reiterating its commitment to a peaceful and democratic movement.
The proposed shutdown comes amid escalating tensions in the Siang Valley over the 11,200-MW SUMP, a mega hydropower project planned on the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh.
The project, envisioned as one of India's largest hydropower initiatives, has faced sustained opposition from sections of the indigenous Adi community, particularly residents of the proposed project-affected areas.
The opposition stems primarily from apprehensions over the submergence of ancestral villages, displacement, loss of agricultural land and forests, and the possible disruption of the community's traditional way of life.
According to reports, 27 villages could be submerged, while several dozen others may be affected.
The project has also assumed strategic significance for the Centre, which views it as important in the context of China's proposed massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, which enters India as the Siang.
Tensions intensified in September and October this year as resistance to the proposed pre-feasibility report (PFR) surveys grew. Protesters objected to the deployment of security personnel to facilitate survey and investigation activities, maintaining that the affected communities had not given their consent.
The situation further deteriorated following incidents of violence during protests, including attacks on vehicles and public property. The administration subsequently initiated arrests and preventive detentions, while security deployment was stepped up in the region.
On October 11, the Upper Siang district administration imposed prohibitory restrictions on the assembly of people amid the unrest. Several organisations subsequently demanded the release of detained activists, withdrawal of security forces and suspension of the ongoing survey activities.
The state government, however, has maintained that the current exercise is only a preliminary feasibility assessment and does not constitute a final decision to construct the dam.
The Centre had also informed Parliament in August 2024 that the project was at the preliminary investigation stage and that environmental clearances would be required before construction could begin.
The latest shutdown call by SAAYA signals a further escalation of the agitation, with community organisations seeking to consolidate opposition across the three districts.