Four women injured in clash with police during protest against Upper Siang power project in Arunachal

The clash happened during a 12-hour shutdown opposing the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. Police said protesters gathered at Dite-Dime near Geku around 7 a.m. Four women were injured and admitted to hospital. The incident brought the wider dispute over the dam into sharp focus.

According to the police, about 150–200 protesters from Geku and Komkar carried machetes, lathis and slingshots. They allegedly hurled stones, tried to breach barricades, attempted to damage police vehicles and violated prohibitory orders. Police said tear gas was fired to disperse the crowd while an executive magistrate was present.

Protesters said some people were hit by tear gas shells and suffered breathing difficulties. The police described lawful action, while the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee demanded an independent inquiry. Officials said the bandh remained peaceful in other parts of Siang district and Upper Siang.

The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project is a proposed large river project in Arunachal Pradesh. The article describes it as an 11,200 MW power project, while the government says its primary purpose is storing and managing water in the Siang basin. That makes it both an energy proposal and a major water-management plan.

The project is planned on the Siang River, in the region covering Siang and Upper Siang districts. Protests also affected parts of East Siang. The proposed infrastructure has become controversial because communities oppose preparatory work and the presence of security forces connected with the project.

The project remains contested. Protesters demanded withdrawal of all pre-feasibility activities and removal of paramilitary and central forces. The government links the plan to concerns about China’s proposed upstream mega dam. The article does not state that construction has begun; it describes protests against the proposal and its early activities.

The project’s planned capacity is 11,200 megawatts. A megawatt measures the rate at which electricity can be produced, so the figure represents the project’s maximum planned power output when its generating units and water supply are available. It signals a project intended to operate at a very large grid scale.

In practical terms, 11,200 megawatts equals 11.2 gigawatts of installed capacity. A dam converts the energy of moving or falling water into electricity through turbines. Actual generation would vary with river flows, reservoir management, maintenance and demand. Capacity therefore should not be confused with constant production.

The article presents the project as a major proposed development, with estimates elsewhere in the report of at least 11,000 MW and 11,500 MW. Its size helps explain the strong opposition and the government’s strategic interest, but the article does not provide construction or completion dates.

The protest involved Adi Bane Kebang United, the SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum Youth Wing and the Adi Galo Welfare Society. Their campaign brought together community, youth, farmers’ and social organisations across Siang, Upper Siang and parts of East Siang.

Their main demands were the release of 10 arrested activists and reinstatement of suspended gaon buras, or village headmen. They also demanded withdrawal of all pre-feasibility activities for the project. A further demand was removal of paramilitary and central forces deployed in the region.

The bandh followed continuing opposition to the proposed dam. Chief Minister Pema Khandu had reportedly promised on October 13 to release detained youths, withdraw FIRs and reduce security deployment. Protesters continued to press their demands, while the government defended the project’s water-management purpose and security rationale.

Hydropower turns the energy of moving water into electricity. Water stored behind a dam has gravitational energy. When released through passageways, it flows quickly toward lower ground and spins turbines. The turbines drive generators, which convert that mechanical motion into electrical power for a grid.

A dam on the Siang River could store water and regulate its release. The difference in water level above and below the dam would help create pressure and flow through turbines. More water and a greater height difference generally provide more potential power. The project’s proposed 11,200 MW capacity reflects its planned generating scale.

The article does not explain the engineering design in detail. It states that the government sees the project primarily as a way to store and manage water in the Siang basin, while the project is also described as a major hydropower proposal. Construction status and operating details are not provided.

Large dams alter natural river flows by storing water and releasing it through controlled outlets. These changes can affect seasonal flooding, sediment movement, fish migration and wetland habitats. Reservoirs can also submerge land and change local landscapes. The scale and severity depend on the design, location and operating rules.

Downstream farms may face changed irrigation timing, reduced sediment and altered water availability. Indigenous communities can experience displacement, loss of forests or cultural sites, and disruption to fishing and agriculture. Communities near the reservoir and along the river may also face construction traffic and restricted access. These are established potential effects, not impacts documented in this article.

The article focuses on arrests, protests, security deployment and the government’s water-security argument. It does not report specific ecological, farming or downstream community consequences from this project. Those concerns help explain why large dams often draw opposition, but their actual effects would require environmental and social assessment.

The government links the project to China’s proposed mega dam upstream on the Siang River. It says the proposed Arunachal project is primarily intended to store and manage water in the Siang basin. The logic is that infrastructure could strengthen India’s ability to monitor, regulate and respond to changes in a shared river system.

River infrastructure becomes a water-security matter when an upstream project may influence water timing, storage or flows across borders. A downstream country may view reservoirs and control structures as ways to protect water availability and manage risks. In this case, the government invokes China’s proposed dam to explain the project’s strategic importance, while activists oppose using that concern to justify it.

The debate remains unresolved. Activists urged the Centre not to use the China dam as a reason to push the Siang project. The article reports no final decision on construction. It records continuing protests, demands to stop pre-feasibility work and calls to remove deployed forces.