At least two people, including a Buddhist monk, were killed and many others injured after police fired to control a protesting mob at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday even as Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed in and around Tawang and Army was called out to assist the State police in containing the situation.
The Army conducted flag march in the Tawng that borders China even as simmering tension continued in and around the district.
The incident took place on Monday morning after thousands of people gathered in Tawang to protest against the recent arrest of lama lobsang Gyatso, one of the prominent anti-dam activist in Arunachal Pradesh and demand his release.
Gyatso leads a group called, Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF), an organisation of the Monpa community in the Mon-Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh spear-headed by Buddhist lamas. The group has been advocating socio-culturally and ecologically sensitive development in the Mon-Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh and has been organising protest programmes against ecologically destructive hydropower projects, demanding accountability in execution Government schemes and development projects, as well as exposing corruption.
Gyatso was arrested on Thursday afternoon, based on a complaint that he had defamed the Abbot of the Tawang Monastery, Guru Tulku Rinpoche, the spiritual head of Mon region by questioning his nationality through an audio clip. Gyatso was supposed to be produced before the court on Monday.
locals said that thousands of people took part in a peace rally that started on Monday morning. Although the police produced Gyatso in the court on Monday, he was rejected bail which aggravated the situation and protesters attacked the Tawang police station. “The protesters has tried to set the police station on fire and this forced the police to fire at them to contain the situation,” said a police official.
Although Gyatso was reproduced in the court again later and was granted bail by the court but not before the police firing killed two persons and injured many others.
It may be mentioned here that the National Green Tribunal had last month suspended the environmental clearance of the 780 MW Nyamjang Chhu project in response to an Appeal filed by the Save Mon Region Federation. Gyatso and the SMRF has also been supporting villagers in recording their objections against other proposed hydro power projects in Tawang.