Following reports of protests against the deployment of forces to facilitate the preparation of a pre-feasibility report for the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project on the Siang river, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Arunachal Pradesh government and its police department, seeking a report.
Requesting a detailed report within two weeks, the NHRC stated that it has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports highlighting that residents are opposing the proposed construction of a dam, fearing that it may lead to the displacement of several people and negatively affect livelihoods and the ecology in Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh.
The rights panel also took note of the deployment of central armed forces in various areas of the district in response to the protests. The commission said that if the reports are accurate, they raise serious concerns over “violations of human rights.”
Villagers in both Siang and Upper Siang districts have protested the deployment of armed personnel in Beging, Geku, Yingkiong, and Boleng. According to the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum, Central Armed Police Forces have been forcibly deployed despite ongoing protests by the affected villagers. The government owes an explanation to both the people and the commission as to why armed forces have been deployed when the villagers have clearly voiced their opposition. Choosing force over dialogue is uncalled for and goes against democratic norms. The government must justify why it resorted to the forceful deployment of security personnel against the will of the local population.