Protests turn violent in Arunachal over Siang dam, MLA’s house vandalised

Protests against the proposed 11,000-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) turned violent in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Siang district on Wednesday, 30 September, with demonstrators vandalising the residence of Tuting-Yingkiong MLA Alo Libang in Yingkiong, blocking roads and setting a police vehicle ablaze near the Dite Dime bridge. Several government vehicles were also damaged during the unrest, which occurred during Chief Minister Pema Khandu's visit to the district.

Protesters demanded an immediate halt to the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) survey and the withdrawal of central paramilitary forces from project-affected areas. The state government has maintained that the PFR is a preliminary technical assessment and does not amount to project approval. Khandu said the three-month exercise would determine technical feasibility and that subsequent steps, including social and environmental impact assessments, would depend on its findings.

Protesters also restricted movement outside a hotel where Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and other ministers were staying, the Hindustan Times reports. The Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum (SIFF), one of the groups leading the opposition, declined an invitation for talks during Khandu's visit. The protest follows a clash between villagers and security personnel at Geku on 28 September, in which four people were briefly detained.

Update, 2 October 2026: Hindustan Times reports protesters also restricted movement of Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and other ministers outside a hotel in Yingkiong. Times Now reports road blockades continued in Upper Siang on Thursday, 1 October, with heightened security deployment. Scroll.in carries activist Ebo Mili's criticism that Khandu's meeting was a 'complete failure' and that MLAs had publicly said the dam would be built.