Anti-Siang dam march reaches Itanagar as Adi body sets terms for talks

A foot march against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) reached Itanagar on Sunday morning, November 15, after 12 days and nearly 390 km on the road. The Adi Galo Welfare Society (AGWS) set out from Geku in Upper Siang district on November 4, walked through Assam's Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts, and entered the state capital through the Banderdewa check gate, Northeast Live reported.

A day earlier, the Adi Ba:ne Kebang United (ABKU), the apex Adi body, told the state government it would join talks on the dam, but only on its own terms.

What the marchers want

Led by AGWS president Geyi Bagra, the marchers repeated three demands in Itanagar: release of the young people detained over the anti-dam protests, withdrawal of all FIRs against protesters, and removal of security forces and armed paramilitary personnel from villages in Siang district, according to Northeast Live.

During the walk through Assam, AGWS leaders told reporters that their movement is not against development as such. "Our concern is not development itself, but the kind of development that threatens our existence. The Siang is our mother river," an AGWS spokesperson said in Lakhimpur on November 12, The Arunachal Times reported. The group also warned of disaster risks for people downstream in Assam.

The march reached Dhemaji on November 9, where Assam groups including the AJP and AJYCP joined it.

ABKU's conditions for talks

In a letter dated Friday, November 13, to Shibu Thomas, principal private secretary to Chief Minister Pema Khandu, the ABKU acknowledged the government's invitation of November 11 for dialogue on SUMP, The Arunachal Times reported from Pasighat.

The letter, signed by ABKU president Dijhi Tamuk and general secretary Jirbo Jamoh, set three conditions:

• everyone detained over the Siang dam agitation must be released within 48 hours;
• the criminal cases against them must be withdrawn;
• the meeting must be held in Pasighat.

The ABKU said the detainees are "neither criminals nor antisocial elements, but common people" who were protesting against what it called forceful pre-feasibility report (PFR) work. It again blamed police for the October 23 violence.

Who is still in custody

The state freed four activists held under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on November 7, calling it a confidence-building step, as we reported then. But several well-known figures remain in judicial custody over the October 23 violence, according to The Arunachal Times:

• Ebo Mili, a human rights lawyer, who surrendered to Pasighat police and is in jail. He went on a hunger strike last month.
• Otul Jerang, a youth leader, who also surrendered and remains in jail.
• Tajong Talom, an activist who got bail from a local court on November 11 but was arrested again outside the Pasighat sub-jail gate in a separate case linked to the unrest.

Student groups are also seeking the release of 18 arrested JN College students ahead of their December exams. On November 10, the ABKU gave the government 14 days to act on its demand for a judicial inquiry into the Raneghat police action. That deadline runs out around November 24.

The government's position

Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said repeatedly that the current work is only a pre-feasibility study. It tests technical viability and siting, including earthquake risk, and is not a commitment to build, Northeast Live noted. Khandu has said no decision will be taken before the PFR is done.

Why the project is contested

At a proposed 11,200 MW, SUMP would be India's largest hydropower project. The Centre sees it as a storage reservoir that could absorb sudden releases or diversions from China's planned 60,000 MW project on the Yarlung Tsangpo, as the Siang is called in Tibet. At least 27 villages in Siang and Upper Siang districts are feared to be affected, The Arunachal Times has noted in a column on the standoff. Our explainer on the project has the background.

What to watch

The march is over, but the dispute is not. Watch whether the remaining detainees are freed, whether the government accepts Pasighat as the venue, and what happens when the November 24 deadline passes. The government had not publicly answered the ABKU letter by Sunday afternoon.