Three Arunachal districts to observe shutdown on November 2
The SUMP Affected Area Youth Association called for the protest over the arrests of people agitating against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.
The SUMP Affected Area Youth Association (SAAYA) has called for a shutdown in the Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh on November 2, according to The Assam Tribune.
The association is protesting the arrests of individuals who have been agitating against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). SAAYA stated that these arrests are an effort to silence the lawful expressions of indigenous groups who oppose the project.
In a letter to the Bogum Bokang Welfare Society (BBWS), SAAYA requested the organisation's support for the proposed shutdown. The association noted that an emergency executive meeting held on October 29 resolved to organise the shutdown alongside the Siang Indigenous Farmer Forum (SIFF), various youth groups and local residents.
The agitation concerns the 11,200-MW SUMP hydropower project planned for the Siang River. Protesters have raised objections regarding a survey and the deployment of central armed police forces in project-affected areas, claiming they did not provide consent.
The project has faced opposition from the Adi community due to concerns over the submergence of 27 villages, displacement, and the loss of forests and agricultural land. The state government has stated that the current work is a preliminary feasibility assessment and not a final decision to build the dam.
The Upper Siang district administration imposed prohibitory restrictions on public assembly on October 11 following unrest in the region.