Itanagar, Nov 4 The dawn-to-dusk Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) shutdown called by the Public Rights Action Committee (PRAC) ended peacefully on Wednesday, police said.
The organisation called for the shutdown, demanding the release of those detained in connection with the October 23 protests against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Siang, East Siang and Upper Siang districts.
“The shutdown was peaceful, and there was no report of any law-and-order problem or untoward incident,” Capital SP Jummar Basar told PTI.
The police had deployed additional security personnel at key locations like the Civil Secretariat and Lok Bhavan as a precautionary measure to ensure that the bandh remains peaceful.
PRAC’s other demands include withdrawal of security forces deployed for the proposed project, revocation of suspension orders of gaonburas (village headmen) and suspension of SUMP survey activities.
In the morning, around 30 protesters attempted to march from Bage Tinali near Nirjuli towards IG Park. However, police personnel dispersed them, he said.
PRAC called off its bandh in the evening after receiving a positive response from the Arunachal Pradesh government to its key demands, including the release of detained activists.
Announcing the decision, PRAC chairman Takam Sonia said the issue of detained activists was now being pursued by the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF), which he described as the parent organisation spearheading the movement against the proposed SUMP.
Sonia said the Chief Minister’s Office had issued a letter inviting SIFF representatives for dialogue on the issue.
He, however, clarified that the decision to call off the bandh should not be construed as a withdrawal of PRAC’s demands or an end to its agitation.
Sonia asserted that the committee would continue pursuing the issues until concrete action was taken and its demands were fulfilled.
SIFF spokesperson Tagori Mize confirmed that the forum had received a communication from the CMO on Tuesday concerning the release of protesters arrested following the Pasighat violence.
Mize said poor internet connectivity in the Siang region had delayed the circulation of the communication among the forum’s members and the public.
He said SIFF president and executive members would meet on November 5 to deliberate on several issues surrounding the controversial hydropower project, with the release of detained activists expected to feature prominently.
The developments come amid continuing unrest in the Siang belt over the proposed 11,200-MW hydropower project on the Siang River, which has faced stiff opposition from indigenous organisations fearing displacement, environmental damage and the loss of ancestral lands.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu has maintained that no final decision has been taken on constructing the project and that the government is only pursuing its pre-feasibility report.
He has assured people that the concerns of the affected communities would be addressed through consultations before any decision is taken.
(PTI News)
