SUMP row: Farmers' body claims 67 villagers injured in clashes with Arunachal police

The Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum (SIFF), which is spearheading protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh, on October 6 claimed that 67 villagers were injured in clashes with police during protests on October 4.

The claim came a day after police said eight personnel were injured and five people, including two women, were arrested in connection with the clashes in Siang district.

The SIFF's claims could not be independently verified, and an official response from the administration or police to the forum's latest allegations was awaited.

According to SIFF general secretary Likeng Libang, 52 protesters were injured at Riga and 15 at Pangkang during the confrontation. Of the 67 injured, the forum claimed 31 suffered major injuries while 36 sustained minor injuries.

The farmers' body also alleged that eight vehicles belonging to project-affected families were damaged, with four each reported from Riga and Pangkang.

In a separate incident near the Siang Bridge at Dite Dime, the forum claimed that seven project-affected people from Riew and Begging villages were injured. Five were from Riew and two from Begging, it said. One of the seven was allegedly seriously injured while the remaining six suffered minor injuries, according to the forum.

The clashes broke out amid continuing protests by local communities against the Preliminary Feasibility Report (PFR) exercise for the proposed 11,000-MW SUMP on the Siang River.

Project-affected communities in the region have been demanding an immediate halt to survey and other activities linked to the PFR.

The state government, however, has maintained that the PFR is only an initial technical exercise to assess the feasibility of the proposed project and does not amount to a final decision to construct the dam.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu has also said that no final decision on construction would be taken before the required technical studies, legal processes and statutory consultations are completed.

The Siang region has witnessed sustained opposition to SUMP, with protesters raising concerns over land, livelihoods, displacement, environmental impact and the possible consequences of large-scale water diversion.