Arunachal Protesters Rally Against Siang Dam and Detentions
On October 29, 2026, protesters in Arunachal Pradesh marched against the proposed 11,200-megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project and demanded the release of detained organisers, NDTV reported. Participants included local residents, young activists and indigenous community representatives.
Some demonstrators wore traditional attire and carried placards opposing the proposed dam. Protest organisers called for the unconditional release of people in custody and withdrawal of criminal cases associated with the demonstrations.
Preventive Detentions and Administrative Action
Tensions across the river basin grew sharper following administrative measures against local organizers opposing technical field surveys. On October 9, authorities in Upper Siang district issued preventive detention orders under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 2014 against four residents, named as Adum Tayom, Omak Paron, Okut Paloh, and Oson Paron.
The Indian Express linked debate over Siang to China’s December 2024 approval of a 60,000-megawatt downstream Yarlung Tsangpo project. Indian officials have described the proposed Siang scheme as one possible response to upstream water-management risks.
During a general strike on October 23, authorities reported disturbances linked to protests against the project. State police subsequently reported 26 arrests, including five minors, while taking six additional people into custody for questioning and registering eight criminal cases, according to NDTV.
A Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses assessment notes that the region is in seismic zone V and discusses the possibility of reservoir-induced tremors; it does not predict that a specific Siang dam will cause an earthquake.
Among those reported in police custody were human rights lawyer Ebo Mili, youth coordinator Otul Jerang, and activist Tajong Talom. While reports indicated that Mili and Jerang refused food from October 26, East Siang Superintendent of Police Pankaj Lamba disputed descriptions of a hunger strike, stating that both individuals had consumed breakfast that morning.
Community Resistance and Valley Impact
Local resistance is organized by community groups including the SUMP Affected Area Youth Association alongside the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum. In settlements like Geku within Upper Siang, village youth expressed mounting concern over surveillance and legal action, with community member Kento Tate alleging that over 50 people had experienced detention or arrest, with some activists facing up to 25 separate cases.
According to Arunachal Observer, the Rising Traditional Village Council adopted a resolution opposing survey activity for the project inside its jurisdiction.
The Indian Express traces the present SUMP proposal to a 2017 consolidation of the earlier Siang Upper Stage I and II schemes.
Local Adi community members maintain that their opposition stems from deep concern regarding the impact of the 11,200 MW project on ancestral lands, indigenous culture, and the natural flow of the Siang River. Community groups continue to demand the withdrawal of security forces and the complete termination of pre-feasibility survey operations across the river valley.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu stated that the Siang Upper project will not be rushed beyond the pre-feasibility survey stage and that there will be no further progress if experts find it not feasible.
Local residents voice anxiety that reservoir waters could flood indigenous settlements and cultivation terraces, damaging family livelihoods and disrupting long-standing historical connections to their river basin, according to reporting by ThePrint. Among village organizers in Geku, primary objectives focus on securing the freedom of detained demonstrators and initiating constructive talks with state authorities before additional field surveys proceed.