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Villagers Protest Armed Forces' Deployment for Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh

June 7, 2025, Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh

People in Arunachal Pradesh's Siang District are protesting because they don't want armed forces to come in to do a pre-feasibility study for the ambitious 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). The government's decision to conduct surveys for the huge hydropower project with military protection has made indigenous people very worried about being forced to move, losing their farmland, and the project's bad effects on the environment.

Unannounced Military Deployment Sparks Outrage

Earlier this week, heavily armed personnel arrived in several villages in the Upper Siang region to help survey teams do the first work on the SUMP. This is, when the controversy started. Many residents were surprised and said that there had been no public consultation or notice before. Seeing uniformed soldiers moving through normally peaceful and rural villages made people worry right away. They thought it meant that their permission was being ignored. We never asked or were told about this so-called development on our land. Instead, they call in the army. What does that mean? Tashi Megu, an elder from one of the affected villages, asked. The villagers are scared that the armed forces are being used to scare people into not fighting back and to move forward with a project that threatens their way of life.

A Threat to Livelihoods and Culture

The fear of being forced to move is, what the protest is really about. Many tribal groups live in the Siang Valley, and make a living by farming, fishing, and using the forest. The proposed dam and its reservoir will likely flood huge areas of fertile farmland, forests, and traditional homes, forcing whole communities to move. The villagers say that past development projects haven't helped them much, and that they don't believe they will be fairly compensated, or moved to a new place. "Our identity is very closely linked to this land." Nyima Taying, a farmer and one of the protest organizers, said, "If we lose it, we lose who we are." "We've already lost too much. We won't just accept this in silence. There is growing worry, that the project could permanently harm the region's delicate ecology, in addition to the threat to jobs. The Siang River is very important to the cultural and spiritual life of the people because many indigenous groups consider it sacred. They say that building dams could change the natural flow of rivers, put aquatic biodiversity at risk, and make landslides more likely in the already fragile Himalayan terrain.

Environmental Risks of Mega Dams in the Northeast

For a long time, experts and environmentalists have been worried about big hydropower projects in the Northeast. The area is in a high-seismic zone and is sensitive to the environment. It has complicated river systems that help both local agriculture and biodiversity. If finished, the SUMP would be one of the biggest hydropower projects in India. It would involve building a huge dam that could change how the Brahmaputra River basin flows. Dr. Ranjan Das, an environmental researcher based in Guwahati, said, "Projects of this size in such a fragile ecosystem are a recipe for disaster." "Not only do they harm the environment, but they also often go ahead without fully considering the rights, and voices of the people who live there." People in Arunachal Pradesh and nearby states are skeptical of government promises, because of past experiences with similar projects. People have often not kept their promises to pay, hire, or improve infrastructure, which has made the mistrust grow.

Call for Dialogue and Transparency

Because of the protests, community leaders and groups in civil society are asking for an immediate stop to all project-related work, including the survey operations that are going on right now. They also want the armed forces to leave civilian areas and for a clear, open consultation process to start with the villages that are affected. Dorjee Perme, a teacher from the area, said, "We're not against development." "But we shouldn't force development. It must be open to everyone, last a long time and respect people's rights. So far, neither the state government nor the central government has made an official statement about the growing unrest. However, local elected officials are worried about the use of military presence in civilian situations and have asked both the state and central governments to put dialogue ahead of enforcement.

#ProtestAgainstSUMP Gains Momentum

The protest has now gotten attention from people outside the area, thanks to social media, which has made the voices of those who are affected louder. The hashtag #ProtestAgainstSUMP has been trending in local circles, and environmental groups, student bodies, and human rights activists from all over the Northeast and beyond have shown their support. The central government has called the SUMP a strategic energy project, so the next few weeks will be very important. The response from the government and their willingness to talk to people who are affected could not only decide the fate of the project, but also how development is done in India's northeastern frontier. The people of Siang District are still united in their stand for now. They want to protect their land, river, and future.