Tension gripped Geku town in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday as hundreds of indigenous Adi villagers staged a massive protest rally.
The demonstrators are demanding the immediate and unconditional release of local activists detained amid escalating anti-dam agitations.
The district administration recently invoked the stringent Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (APUAPA), taking several individuals into preventive custody.
Prominent among those held are Adum Tayom, Omak Paron, Okut Paloh, and Oson Paron, alongside other youth activists arrested in neighbouring Boleng and Pasighat.
The crackdown follows four months of volatile resistance against pre-feasibility report (PFR) surveys for the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).
Spearheaded by the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF), locals fiercely oppose the mega-dam over fears of community displacement, environmental damage, and loss of their river-based ancestral heritage.
Marching with placards reading "No Survey, No Dam", protesters termed the state's actions arbitrary and illegal.
Local leaders have issued a strict ultimatum to the district administration, warning that they will launch a full-scale democratic movement starting Sunday if the detainees are not freed immediately.