Protests Against the Siang Mega-Dam Turn Violent in Arunachal Pradesh
Protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), a planned 11,200 MW hydropower and water-storage dam on the Siang river, turned violent and spread across the Siang belt of Arunachal Pradesh.
On 23 October 2026, a 12-hour bandh (shutdown) was held across parts of East Siang, Upper Siang and Siang districts. Clashes broke out in the evening in Pasighat, and police used tear gas.
An office of NHPC (the public sector hydropower company carrying out the survey work) was set on fire, part of the Pasighat police station was damaged, several police vehicles were burnt, and the homes of some elected representatives were attacked.
Police registered FIRs and arrested or detained about 15 people. Since 9 October, at least 10 people had been arrested, four of them under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014.
Protesters, led by groups of the Adi community such as the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum, demand a halt to survey work for the project's pre-feasibility report (PFR), the release of detained activists, and the withdrawal of central forces. Some movement leaders said violence went against the movement's principles.
The government presents SUMP as India's strategic answer to China's planned 60,000 MW Medog project upstream on the same river (the Yarlung Tsangpo), and as a way to control floods and protect India's water security.
Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP): India's Storage Dam on the Siang
The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, or SUMP, is a very large dam proposed on the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh. The Siang is the name of the Brahmaputra when it first enters India from Tibet, where it is called the Yarlung Tsangpo. The project plans to generate about 11,000 to 11,200 MW of electricity and to store a huge volume of water. "Multipurpose" means it is meant for power, flood control and water security together.
The current violence is over the very first step of SUMP: the survey work for its pre-feasibility report. The clash shows the gap between the government's strategic and flood-control reasons and the local community's fear of losing land and identity.
Article 371: Special Provisions for Certain States
Article 371 and its sub-parts (371A to 371J) in Part XXI of the Constitution give special arrangements to certain states. These cover things like local development boards, protection of tribal customs and land, and special powers for the Governor. They were added to respect the special history, geography or social make-up of these states. For Arunachal Pradesh, the relevant provision is Article 371H.
Arson, attacks on police and the deployment of central forces make this a serious law-and-order situation in Arunachal, an area where Article 371H gives the Governor a special constitutional role. It also explains why Adi groups lean on customary land rights and traditional bodies rather than a constitutional land shield like Nagaland's.
Adi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh
The Adi are one of the largest tribal communities of Arunachal Pradesh. They live mainly in the valleys of the Siang river and its tributaries, in districts such as East Siang, Upper Siang, Siang, West Siang and Lower Dibang Valley. They speak languages of the Tani group, part of the larger Tibeto-Burman family. They are famous for their democratic village councils called Kebang and for their nature-based faith, Donyi-Polo (worship of the Sun and the Moon).
The protests against SUMP are led largely by Adi organisations, because the dam's reservoir would lie in the Adi heartland along the Siang. Their deep links to customary land, the river and traditional councils explain why survey work alone has sparked such strong resistance.
- SUMP: proposed about 11,200 MW on the Siang river, Arunachal Pradesh; survey work by NHPC
- China's Medog project: about 60,000 MW on the Yarlung Tsangpo; construction began 19 July 2025
- Bandh on 23 October 2026 across parts of East Siang, Upper Siang and Siang districts; clashes in Pasighat
- About 15 people arrested or detained after the clashes; at least 10 arrests since 9 October, four under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014
- Protesters' demands: halt pre-feasibility report survey, release detainees, withdraw central forces
- Article 371H: added by the 55th Amendment Act, 1986; Governor's special responsibility for law and order