Lakhimpur: Assam Police halted the Adi Galo Welfare Society (AGWS) anti-dam march in Lakhimpur district on Friday, November 13, 2026, citing the absence of prior administrative intimation. The protesters, travelling from Geku village in Arunachal Pradesh towards Itanagar, have paused their 300–400-kilometre journey while awaiting formal administrative clearance.
Assam Police intercepted the Adi Galo Welfare Society's foot march in Lakhimpur district on Friday, citing the lack of prior administrative intimation about the procession.
According to AGWS spokesperson Karge Basar, a convoy of four to five Assam Police vehicles stopped the protesters as they continued towards Itanagar. Basar told reporters that the marchers had been walking peacefully and had not disrupted public activity.
"We were walking peacefully without shouting slogans or causing any disruption. Inter-state administrative coordination should not fall solely on the marchers, and we suspect the order to stop us may have originated from Itanagar."
The protesters have since remained stationed in Lakhimpur while awaiting the necessary administrative permissions to resume their journey. The AGWS march began on November 4, 2026, from Geku village in Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
The organisation planned to submit a memorandum to Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu in Itanagar, opposing activities associated with the proposed 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.
The memorandum is expected to raise concerns over Pre-Feasibility Report activities, paramilitary deployment and the detention of activists linked to protests against the proposed project.
The proposed march covers approximately 300 to 400 kilometres between Geku village and Itanagar. The protesters crossed into Assam through Ruksin on November 6 after beginning their journey two days earlier.
Their scheduled arrival in Itanagar was November 15. However, the police intervention in Lakhimpur has disrupted that timeline, leaving the group waiting for permission to continue.
AGWS president Geyi Bagra and secretary Sanju Taloh are among the organization's key representatives involved in the march.
The organization has dispatched an advance team of four to five members to Itanagar to pursue the matter while the remaining protesters wait in Lakhimpur. The group's spokesperson, Karge Basar, questioned the responsibility placed on marchers to manage administrative coordination between two states.
The organisation also wants the withdrawal of FIRs registered against 48 youths, forming part of its demands concerning the anti-dam movement.
As of Friday, November 13, the protesters remained in Lakhimpur pending formal administrative permissions. The Superintendent of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Lakhimpur are the district authorities identified in connection with the administrative process.
The march's original schedule envisaged reaching Itanagar on November 15 to submit the memorandum to Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
However, the organization's next steps remain dependent on obtaining clearance to proceed.