Congress Alleges Siang Hydropower Project Threatens Indigenous Rights, Calls for Protester Release in Arunachal Pradesh
The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee has intensified opposition to the proposed Siang hydropower project, mobilising indigenous groups, student unions and civil society to demand its scrapping and the release of detained activists. The move escalates political and social tension in the strategically sensitive Northeast over large-scale infrastructure and indigenous rights.
- Congress urges unified resistance against the Siang hydropower project, citing threats to indigenous rights and ecological integrity.
- Demands immediate release of arrested protesters and official scrapping of the controversial infrastructure plan.
- Protest intensifies political friction in Arunachal Pradesh, highlighting broader tensions between development projects and tribal autonomy.
The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee on Thursday urged indigenous organisations, student unions, youth groups, civil society organisations and traditional institutions to unite against the proposed Siang hydropower project, even as authorities detained several activists participating in the demonstrations. In a significant escalation of opposition, the party framed the call as a defence of constitutional rights and the fragile ecological balance of the Siang river basin, invoking historical grievances over large-scale dams in the region.
The Siang hydropower project, envisioned as a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure initiative on the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh, has long faced criticism from tribal groups and environmentalists who argue it threatens fragile ecosystems, displaces communities and undermines indigenous land rights. The project sits at the intersection of strategic national development goals and the aspirations of Arunachal's diverse tribal populations, who have historically resisted large-scale dams on cultural and environmental grounds. Previous attempts at such infrastructure have sparked protracted protests, legal challenges and intermittent crackdowns, making this latest Congress-led mobilisation part of a continuing saga of conflict between development imperatives and regional autonomy.
