The arrest of advocate Ebo Mili and artist Nilim Mahanta for allegedly defacing a portion of the mural on the civil secretariat wall in Itanagar by drawing a resistance logo on it and writing ‘No More Dams’ has deeply divided public opinion in the state. A section of the population has defended the arrest, saying they have disrespected the people of the state by defacing the wall of harmony paintings. This painting has been done in order to mark the 50 years of the naming of Arunachal Pradesh. Another section of Arunachal believes that the arrest will set a wrong trend, and that the duo has every right to protest against mega dams using art forms.
Even though the duo has been granted bail, the whole issue has reignited the debate over mega dams in Arunachal Pradesh. With their simple protest art, advocate Ebo Mili and artist Nilim Mahanta have managed to raise awareness about dams. Hopefully, this will lead to healthier debates and discussions over the hydropower projects in the state. For any democracy to succeed, the citizens should have every right to protest against what they believe is wrong. The duo has used their democratic right successfully. Also, there are laws against the defacement of public premises and the government has used them to arrest them. The last two days have shown that Arunachal Pradesh is starting to mature as a state. Debates, discussions and protests are taking over actions like the bandh culture, etc. This is a sign of a healthy democracy.