Protests over Arunachal Pradesh dams turn violent in Pasighat and Daporijo

Right · 1Protesters in India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh clashed with police and set fire to buildings during demonstrations against the proposed 11,200-megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project of state-run hydropower company NHPC, according to AFP. 1 Right · 1Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the violence erupted late on Friday and that a mob destroyed property, a police station was attacked, the NHPC office was vandalised and several elected representatives' homes were ransacked. 1 Right · 1AFP reported that around 40 police personnel were injured by stones thrown by protesters, and that police fired tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd; Khandu urged opponents to hold dialogue instead of violence. 1

Centre · 1Deutsche Welle, which dates the Pasighat unrest to 23 October, said police fired tear gas at youths there, that protesters allegedly set fire to buildings and vehicles, and that police arrested dozens of demonstrators. 2 Centre · 1Fresh violence followed on Monday in Daporijo town, where student organisations held a 12-hour general strike against the 1,605-megawatt Upper Subansiri project, also called the Menga Dam project, and demanded it be permanently withdrawn. 2 Centre · 1Citing the Arunachal Times, DW reported at least one police vehicle damaged, a constable injured, and an allegedly vandalised rented office of a hydropower company, with equipment set on fire; the Times of India reported police held a flag march and appealed for peace. 2

Centre · 1In Taliha village, residents oppose the Menga project and a related land assessment; the Arunachal Times said they blocked a bridge but that the demonstrations were largely peaceful. 2 Mixed · 2Locals fear mass displacement, loss of ancestral land, ecological damage and seismic risks, and AFP says the Siang project has drawn fierce opposition from communities worried about losing homes and land. 2 1 Right · 1India says the Siang dam is needed to counter China's $167-billion Yaxia project in Tibet, fearing it could affect downstream flows; the Indian dam would store water to help maintain flows into the Brahmaputra, while Beijing says its project will have no negative downstream impact. 1

Right · 1The dispute sits against a backdrop of India-China border tension: China claims Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet, which India rejects, and India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said both sides use diplomatic and military mechanisms to avoid miscalculation. 1