Normal life has come to a standstill in Upper Subansiri district, with roads blocked, shops shut and public movement sharply reduced during a 12-hour bandh called against the proposed Subansiri Upper Hydroelectric Project. The shutdown, centred on Daporijo, the district headquarters, reflects deep local opposition to the 1,605 MW project proposed by the state-owned NHPC Ltd.
The bandh was called by the All Tagin Students’ Union and the All Upper Subansiri District Students’ Union, along with other local student bodies and land-affected forums. Their central demand is the permanent withdrawal of the project, which they say threatens the environment, local livelihoods and tribal rights. Protesters have also raised objections to a police search at the residence of All Tagin Students’ Union president Tadak Pakba, alleging that police wanted to arrest him for backing the anti-dam movement. Police have not issued an immediate public response to that allegation, according to reports of the protest.
Roads blocked and vehicles set on fire
Ground reports describe high tension and strong participation by bandh supporters from the early hours of the shutdown. Protesters blocked roads and burnt tyres in Daporijo, an Army vehicle came under attack and several two-wheelers were set on fire, according to reports.
Security forces remain heavily deployed across the district in an effort to restore order. The protesting bodies are reported to have rejected an offer of peace talks from the district administration, and an environmental public hearing for the project scheduled by NHPC was cancelled. One student representative summed up the mood of the protesters by saying their motherland is not for sale and that they would do anything to safeguard it.
A wider dam debate in Arunachal
The Upper Subansiri agitation comes amid wider unrest over large dams in Arunachal Pradesh. Violent protests have also broken out over the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, with an NHPC office and a police station torched in Pasighat and the residences of political leaders vandalised, according to police. The Centre’s deployment of additional central forces to the Siang region underlines how seriously the administration is taking the situation.
For Upper Subansiri residents, the issue is who decides the future of their land, rivers and forests. The state government’s talks with community groups over the Siang project show dialogue remains an option, but the Daporijo bandh suggests trust between protesters and the administration is running thin.
What happens next
With the public hearing cancelled and talks reportedly rejected, the question is whether both sides can return to negotiations addressing displacement, ecology and consent, rather than relying on security deployment alone.
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