Villagers clash with security forces in Arunachal's Geku over Siang mega-dam project
Villagers clashed with security personnel in Geku village of Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Siang district on Monday, September 28, as opposition intensified to the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), ahead of a scheduled visit by Chief Minister Pema Khandu to the region.
According to reports, residents took to the streets to protest both the project and the continued deployment of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel in the village. The demonstration reportedly turned violent after protesters damaged government vehicles, prompting security forces to step in and bring the situation under control. Four people have been arrested in connection with the incident, and security has since been significantly strengthened across the region.
Khandu is scheduled to travel to Boleng, the headquarters of Siang district, by helicopter, before proceeding to Yingkiong, the headquarters of Upper Siang district, where opposition to the project has remained particularly strong.
Monday's clash is the latest flashpoint in a standoff that has simmered since 2024, when the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) began conducting preliminary surveys for the proposed dam, estimated at over 11,000 MW, across sites in the Siang and Upper Siang districts. The Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum (SIFF), a civil rights body comprising mostly members of the Adi tribe, has led sustained opposition to the project, citing threats to the community's land, environment and way of life. Villagers have previously torched a bridge to block CAPF access to a survey site, and clashes involving CAPF personnel have broken out in the region on more than one occasion since May 2025.
Khandu has defended the project, saying its primary objective is to preserve the Siang river's natural flow and protect downstream communities from flooding, with power generation a secondary goal, and has described it as being of national and strategic importance in light of upstream developments in China. He has also maintained that the state has not used force to push through the project's pre-feasibility process, and that its progress would depend on dialogue with local communities, some of whom have already signed memoranda of understanding in support of the project.
