Protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project have escalated, with an NHPC office and a police station set ablaze in Pasighat amid a 12-hour shutdown across three districts, according to IndiaTodayNE.
The shutdown was called by the Adi Bane Kebang United (ABKU) in collaboration with SAYA, the Adi Galo Welfare Society, SIFF and SIFFYW across Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts, running from 5 am to 5 pm. The organisations are demanding the release of 10 protesters detained around 20 days ago for opposing the project in Upper Siang district, and have warned that if the detainees are not released within 24 hours, the agitation will be intensified — potentially with a wider shutdown, ANI reported.
Shutdown Disrupts Life Across Three Districts
The bandh disrupted normal life, transport and commercial activity across the three districts. Travellers were hit hard: a man from Odisha seeking medicine for his cancer-stricken mother was stranded after a checkpost closure turned his bus back, and he appealed for exemptions for medical emergencies and students appearing for examinations. A woman travelling from Siliguri with two other patients said the group had no access to food, drinking water or restroom facilities, according to ANI.
Violence During the Bandh
According to reports, the shutdown turned violent in places — two police vehicles were torched, security forces used lathicharges and tear gas to clear streets, and protesters pelted stones and breached police barricades at Dite-Dime. Siang SP Kamdam Sikhom was quoted as saying 150 to 200 demonstrators from Geku and Komkar had gathered in violation of prohibitory orders. Four women were injured in the clashes and seven vehicles were wrecked near the Ranaghat Bridge at Mebo in East Siang, reports said. These details are based on media reports.
Demands and the Road Ahead
Apart from the release of the 10 detained activists, the protesters are demanding the withdrawal of central security forces, the reappointment of suspended village headmen and a halt to all pre-feasibility work on the dam, according to reports. The state Congress unit has demanded an independent probe into the police action, including the use of tear gas on protesters.
The Chief Minister has meanwhile invited the ABK youth wing and the Youth Association for discussions, saying he would dedicate the entire month to the Siang region until the pre-feasibility report (PFR) process is completed. No decision on the dam would be taken before the PFR findings, he said, and public consultation would be required under the law if a dam were ever built.
The protests follow a 24-hour sit-in at Miracle Ground in Pasighat, a crackdown that drew international scrutiny, and an earlier promise to cut security deployment and withdraw FIRs.
#SiangDam #Pasighat #ArunachalPradesh #SUMP #NHPC #AdiBaneKebang #EastSiang #NortheastNews
—
SOURCE: IndiaTodayNE (Oct 24, 2026) — “Arunachal SUMP protest: NHPC office, police station set ablaze amid protests against Siang Dam Project”; ANI via LatestLY (Oct 23, 2026) — “12-hour Shutdown in Arunachal over Demand to Release 10 Protesters”; NEWire.in (Oct 23, 2026) — “Violent Clashes Erupt Over Arunachal Pradesh Mega Dam Project” (single-outlet details marked as reports); Indian Economic Observer (Oct 24, 2026) — CM Khandu invites ABK youth wing for talks.
