Arunachal: Siang DC files complaint against activist Ebo Mili over dam protest

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Siang deputy commissioner P N Thungon has lodged a police complaint against prominent anti-dam and human rights activist Ebo Mili, accusing him of leading a protest in violation of prohibitory orders at the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) site.

The complaint, filed at Boleng police station, invokes sections 135, 191, and 324 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

According to Thungon, Mili led a group of 80 to 90 people under the banner of the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF) during a protest held on May 23 last, at the project site at Begging, in the district.

The gathering reportedly violated the prohibitory order issued by the DC on May 22.

“Approximately 400 individuals assembled on May 23, clearly violating the prohibitory order,” the complaint stated.

Thungon has urged the Boleng police to take legal action against Mili, who is also an advocate, under the relevant laws.

The development comes in the wake of the state government’s deployment of central armed personnel in Siang and Upper Siang districts to facilitate a pre-feasibility study for the proposed 11,000 MW SUMP.

The presence of armed forces in areas like Begging, Geku, Yingkiong, and Boleng has drawn sharp opposition from local villagers.

Ebo Mili, known for his strong criticism of the government’s mega-project policies, has already been detained twice in the past.

The project to be executed by the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) is facing stiff opposition from various tribal bodies of the region led by the SIFF.

The Forum is of the apprehension that the project would affect more than 40 villages in the region.

The SUMP, touted as India’s largest hydropower project at an estimated cost of Rs 1.13 lakh crore, is seen by the government as a strategic counter to China’s 60,000 MW dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, which could disrupt water flow into the Siang River.

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