India Increases Security Forces Amid Protests Over Controversial Dam Project

GUWAHATI: India has deployed hundreds of additional security personnel in its remote northeast region following violent protests last week against a proposed mega-dam project aimed at countering a Chinese hydropower initiative upstream. The unrest erupted in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang Valley, which borders Tibet, where youth protesters clashed with police, leading to at least 21 arrests.

Authorities reported that police used tear gas to disperse crowds as demonstrators retaliated by throwing stones and setting fire to a police station and an office of the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. “Forces are being increased in the places where it is required. We do not want any law and order problem,” stated SD Singh Jamwal, the police chief of Arunachal Pradesh, in comments to Reuters.

The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, which is set to generate 11,200 megawatts of power, has faced sporadic protests over the past two years. Local villagers, particularly from the Adi tribe, express concerns that the dam will inundate their ancestral lands, raising fears of cultural and environmental degradation.

As tensions remain high, authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have indicated that further security reinforcements may be deployed if necessary. The government is also expected to engage with local communities to address their grievances and mitigate the unrest surrounding the project.