Protests Erupt in Arunachal Pradesh Over Proposed Mega Dam

A 36-hour shutdown disrupted life across parts of Arunachal Pradesh on November 2, 2026, as protesters demonstrated against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). The bandh, organized by the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum and the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project Affected Area Youth Association, caused the closure of schools, markets, and government offices, particularly in the Upper Siang district and towns such as Yingkiong and Geku. While the shutdown had minimal impact in Siang district, Upper Siang Deputy Commissioner Ashok Tajo declared the action illegal.

Pema Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, refuted claims that the state government has finalized construction, stating that only a Pre-Feasibility Report is currently under consideration. He argued the project is a strategic necessity to ensure water security against hydropower developments begun by China on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in July 2025. Khandu pledged that no final decision would be made without extensive public consultation.

Opposition from the indigenous Adi community and the Arunachal Pradesh Congress has intensified, with critics claiming the project could submerge 27 villages and destroy ancestral lands. Tensions escalated in late September and October, resulting in the burning of a police station and a National Hydroelectric Power Corporation office in Pasighat. Protesters now demand the permanent scrapping of the project, the withdrawal of security forces, and the release of arrested demonstrators.