ITANAGAR, Oct. 27 — The Indian government has launched a massive security airlift into the northeastern frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh, deploying dozens of paramilitary companies after indigenous protests against a massive proposed hydropower dam in the Siang Valley escalated into violent confrontations with authorities, Indian broadcaster NDTV reported on Tuesday.
Indian Air Force heavy transport aircraft operated multiple emergency flights from Navi Mumbai, landing hundreds of Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel directly at Pasighat Airport to re-establish administrative control across the Siang and Upper Siang districts.
The swift buildup comes in response to deep-seated local resistance against the planned 11,200-megawatt (MW) Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. Additional Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) contingents were reassigned from neighboring Assam—including units from Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Nagaon, and Nalbari—bringing the total deployment to 34 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies, including specialized female riot-control personnel.
Tensions reached a tipping point on October 23 in East Siang district when anti-dam rallies turned volatile. Demonstrators torched a local administrative office belonging to state-run hydro major NHPC Limited, set fire to police vehicles, and vandalized private residences of local legislators. In response, authorities clamped prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) across Pasighat, Mebo, and Ruksin.
Arunachal Pradesh Police have registered several non-bailable criminal cases, confirming the arrest of 21 individuals and the detention of at least eight others for interrogation in connection with the arson and mob violence.
The civil unrest has since expanded to adjacent Upper Subansiri district, where protests erupted against another proposed 1,600 MW hydroelectric installation. A 12-hour general strike called by the influential Tagin Students’ Union—prompted by an attempt to detain its president—paralyzed the district headquarters of Daporijo on Tuesday. Clashes broke out between law enforcement officers and protesters, with demonstrators setting multiple vehicles ablaze during confrontations along key transit routes.