Four women injured in clash over Siang hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh

At least four women were injured in a clash between police and protesters opposing the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh on October 23, with security personnel firing tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, officials said.

The confrontation took place at Dite-Dime near Geku in Siang district during a 12-hour bandh called against the proposed 11,200 MW project. According to officials, around 150-200 protesters carrying machetes, lathis and slingshots allegedly attempted to breach police barricades, damage police vehicles and pelt security personnel with stones.

Siang Superintendent of Police Kamdam Sikhom said the protesters from Geku and Komkar areas of Upper Siang district assembled at Dite-Dime around 7 am in support of the shutdown.

"They attempted to vandalise police barricades, hurled stones and violated prohibitory orders," Sikhom said, adding that legal action was initiated in the presence of an executive magistrate.

Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, another officer said, confirming that four women were injured and admitted to a hospital.

Protesters, however, claimed that several people were hit by tear gas shells and experienced breathing difficulties during the confrontation.

The SP said the bandh was being observed peacefully in other parts of Siang district. Upper Siang Deputy Commissioner Ashok Tajo also said the shutdown was proceeding peacefully in his district.

The bandh disrupted normal life across Siang and Upper Siang districts and parts of East Siang, with shops and business establishments remaining shut and residents largely staying indoors.

The shutdown was jointly called by Adi Bane Kebang United, SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum Youth Wing and Adi Galo Welfare Society.

The organisations are demanding the release of 10 arrested activists, reinstatement of suspended gaon buras (village headmen), withdrawal of all pre-feasibility activities related to the project and removal of paramilitary and central forces deployed in the region.

The proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project has faced opposition from sections of local communities concerned about its potential impact on their land, livelihoods and environment.

The Arunachal Pradesh government has maintained that the project is primarily intended to store and regulate water in the Siang basin, particularly amid concerns over China's proposed mega dam upstream on the Siang river.