Siang: The Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum, or SIFF, has refused to meet Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu until those detained during protests against the Upper Siang Multipurpose Project are released and the deployment of Army and paramilitary forces in the region is withdrawn. SIFF is leading the opposition against the proposed mega dam and 11,200-MW hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang and Upper Siang districts.
“We have decided that till those who are jailed, our Gen Z or SIFF members from our villages, are released, we are not going to meet them. Apart from that, the army and paramilitary forces that have been deployed across Siang and Upper Siang must be removed,” SIFF chief advisor Anong Jongkey told ThePrint.
Ten people have been arrested under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (APUAPA), with four detained from Geku and six from Riga, according to SIFF leaders.
The decision was taken at a meeting of villagers from dam-affected areas and SIFF executive members in Geku in Upper Siang district on Wednesday.
Jongkey said the district administration had informed the forum that Khandu had invited its members for a meeting. However, SIFF declined citing the present circumstances.
SIFF has asked Khandu to visit Geku and Yingkiong after the detainees are released, saying it would then be willing to negotiate.
Khandu, meanwhile, has said his government remains open to dialogue and that any decision on the project will be taken with public consensus.
“Our people deserve accurate information to understand the project, its strategic importance and the concerns associated with it,” he said.
Likeng Libang, SIFF general secretary, said the forum had heard that Khandu wanted to meet its representatives but had not received a formal invitation.
“We have seen our CM’s two faces. One is that he is reassuring the Adi community groups that the detainees will be released, but they have not been and more have been detained. The second is that he said that he will reduce paramilitary forces, but it has increased and more forces have come,” Libang said.
He claims that Khandu is not really available for talks with them.
“How can we speak to him? He just says ‘my door is open’, but for whom?” he asked.
Also read: A dam, ancestral land & a standoff: Arunachal’s Siang villages battle a national project
‘Not just about the dam’
At Wednesday’s meeting, Nobeng Burang was selected as the new SIFF president. His formal appointment is expected in the coming days.
Burang, who ran in the 2024 Arunachal Pradesh Assembly election from Tuting-Yingkiong on a PPA ticket, said he would seek to coordinate with like-minded organisations, including ABKU, SAYA and ADISU, to strengthen the movement against the proposed dam projects.
“Whatever steps I will take will be taken in an organised and coordinated way. I can’t say I will stop this dam, but I will try to continue this fight against the dam in an organised way,” he said. “This fight is not just about the dam. It is about our Sanskriti, sabhyata and aastha,” he added.
Dubit Siram, general secretary of the SIFF youth wing, said several people had gone underground following Gen Z protests in Pasighat, during which the house of an MLA was vandalised.
“We condemn that, but if you see in detail, you will see that the police and district administration had incited that. They were just children and youth and they could have explained to them peacefully. But they used tear gas instead,” he alleged.
East Siang Police arrested 26 people, including five minors, in connection with the violence.
Siram claimed that several people were injured during the police action and accused the district administration of not following standard operating procedures.
“We never take the law in our hands. When people are just protesting peacefully, why is there a need for tear gas?” he said.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)