Siang dam row: Arunachal frees 4 anti-SUMP activists, offers talks

The Arunachal Pradesh government on Saturday, November 7, released four activists who had been detained for almost a month over protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), calling it a step to build confidence for talks with the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum (SIFF).

The four, Adum Tayom, Omak Paron, Okut Paloh and Oson Paron, had been held since October 9 under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (APUAPA), 2014. They walked out of Jully Central Jail near Itanagar, where supporters received them with bouquets and garlands, The Times of India reported. Tayom heads SIFF's youth wing. All four are from Geku in Upper Siang district, a centre of the anti-dam movement, and were picked up in Pasighat.

Why the government moved

"The release of these individuals is intended as a confidence building measure to create a positive atmosphere for dialogue and reconciliation," the government said in its statement, quoted by The Arunachal Times.

The decision came after SIFF, Adi Bane Kebang (United) and the SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA) refused for the second time to hold talks with the state, at a joint meeting in Yingkiong. SIFF had set three conditions: release of the detainees, reinstatement of gaon buras, and withdrawal of armed forces.

Besides freeing the four, the administration approved reinstating gaon buras and gaon buris (traditional village heads) who had been suspended or removed.

Other demands left to talks

The Chief Minister's Office said the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces and the Rapid Action Force in the Siang valley is a matter of public safety, but that a review "will be discussed in a transparent manner" when a SIFF delegation meets the government. The withdrawal of FIRs against local residents will also be taken up at that meeting. The CMO asked SIFF to appeal for peace in Siang and Upper Siang districts.

SIFF spokesperson Tagori Mize said the forum's next step would be decided after consultations with ABKU and SAAYA. Anti-dam groups have said the release of all detainees, withdrawal of CAPF personnel and scrapping of the pre-feasibility report (PFR) study are essential for meaningful dialogue.

Others still in jail

Other activists, including Ebo Mili, Tajong Talom and Otul Jerang, remain in custody, with bail pleas being heard in Pasighat. Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Bosiram Siram welcomed the release but urged the government to free the others and withdraw all cases against protesters.

Protests against the 11,000-MW project have spread beyond the Siang valley since violence in Pasighat on October 23, followed by a rally and bandh in Itanagar and a rally in Roing. Members of the Adi Galo Welfare Society are on a foot march of more than 400 km from Geku to Itanagar via Assam, which began on November 4 and reached Jonai in Dhemaji district on Saturday.