‘Withdraw forces, hold dialogue’: Arunachal's Adi youth body steps up opposition to SUMP

The All Adi Youth Association (AAYA) on October 6 condemned the prevailing situation in the Siang belt amid growing opposition to the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Central Armed Police Forces and state police personnel deployed in Siang and Upper Siang districts.

Addressing a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club, AAYA Secretary (IPR) Okut Tali said the heavy deployment of security forces had created law and order concerns in areas including Sitang and Riga, where protests against the proposed project and its Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) activities have intensified.

Clashes between protesters and security personnel were reported recently in Riga and Ugeng, with several protesters and CRPF personnel reportedly injured.

Tali rejected what he described as the state government's claim that a majority of project-affected families had accepted SUMP and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

He questioned the claim in view of the protests and clashes witnessed in the affected areas in recent days.

The AAYA leader said the Adi community had traditionally resolved disputes through customary institutions such as the Kebang and argued that deployment of heavy security forces was not an appropriate way to address differences over the project.

He called for a mechanism for peaceful dialogue between the government and affected communities instead of what he described as forceful measures.

AAYA also alleged that the MoUs cited by the government did not reflect the views of all 27 project-affected villages. Tali claimed that consultations and consent-gathering exercises had been conducted selectively and, in some cases, behind closed doors and outside the villages concerned.

The association demanded that the state government revoke the suspension of several gaon burahs who were suspended by the district administration over their alleged participation in protests against SUMP.

It also called for the withdrawal of FIRs registered against protesters in Siang and Upper Siang districts, alleging that the cases amounted to suppression of citizens' constitutional rights.

The demands come amid a wider standoff over the proposed SUMP, with sections of the local community opposing the PFR and security deployment in the project-affected areas. The state government has maintained that the PFR is an initial technical assessment and does not amount to a final decision to construct the project.

The proposed SUMP, with a capacity of more than 10,000 MW, has become a major point of contention between the government and sections of the indigenous Adi community, with concerns raised over land, livelihoods, displacement and the environment.