Advocate-activist goes missing after anti-dam protest in Arunachal: Concerns mount over safety, state suppression

By Avyaan Sharma

Serious concerns have emerged over the safety and whereabouts of Advocate Ebo Mili, a prominent indigenous rights defender and member of the Idu Mishmi tribal community, who has gone missing since the evening of May 26, 2025. Mili, known for his unwavering advocacy for indigenous rights and environmental protection, had been leading a peaceful protest against the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) under the banner of the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF).

The protest, held on May 22 and 23 in Begging village, Siang district, was a constitutional exercise of the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Indian Constitution. Local communities have long voiced fears that the SUMP will result in massive ecological destruction, forced displacement, and loss of ancestral lands—without their free, prior, and informed consent.

However, shortly after the protest, on May 26, Siang Deputy Commissioner P.N. Thungon filed charges against Advocate Mili under Sections 135, 191, and 324 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. Authorities accused Mili of violating Section 144 orders and “leading a mob,” though witnesses report the protest remained entirely peaceful.

Mili’s disappearance around 6:20 PM on May 26, following these legal actions, has sparked outrage among activists, legal experts, and civil society. Critics argue that the charges appear retaliatory in nature—an attempt to criminalize dissent and intimidate those opposing large-scale development projects.

“This is not an isolated incident,” said one observer. “Mili has been detained multiple times—in March 2022, August 2023, and July 2024—for similar peaceful actions. This pattern of state response undermines not only India’s Constitution but also its international commitments, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

The lack of transparency about Mili’s current location and condition has further heightened fears of unlawful detention or worse. Civil society organizations and indigenous groups are now calling for urgent action:

1. Immediate Release and Clarity – Authorities must ensure the prompt and safe release of Advocate Mili and publicly disclose his current condition and whereabouts.

2. Withdrawal of Charges – All charges related to the May protest must be dropped, acknowledging the constitutional right to peaceful protest.

3. Meaningful Dialogue – The government must engage with SIFF and other indigenous groups to address concerns around SUMP and uphold the principle of free, prior, and informed consent.

4. Protection of Activists – There must be an end to the misuse of legal and security mechanisms to target environmental and indigenous rights defenders.

The deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to facilitate pre-feasibility studies for the SUMP, despite widespread local opposition, has only deepened tensions in the region. Critics argue that prioritizing infrastructure projects over community welfare and ecological preservation could lead to long-term instability.

The government now faces growing pressure to uphold democratic principles, protect the rights of indigenous communities, and ensure transparency and accountability in its approach to development in Arunachal Pradesh.

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

Subject to geological upheaval, the time to listen to the Himalayas has already passed

By Rajkumar Sinha* The people of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, who have somehow survived the onslaught of reckless development so far, are crying out in despair that within the next ten to fifteen years their very existence will vanish. If one carefully follows the news coming from these two Himalayan states these days, this painful cry does not appear exaggerated. How did these prosperous and peaceful states reach such a tragic condition? What feats of our policymakers and politicians pushed these states to the brink of destruction?

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.

Rally in Patna: Non-farmer bodies to highlight plight of agriculture in Eastern India ahead of march to Parliament

P Sainath By A Representative Ahead of the march to Parliament on November 29-30, 2018, organized by over 210 farmer and agricultural worker organisations of the country demanding a 21-day special session of Parliament to deliberate on remedial measures for safeguarding the interest of farm, farmers and agricultural workers, a mass rally been organized for November 23, Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Gandhi Museum), Gandhi Maidan, Patna. Say the organizers, the Eastern region merits special attention, because, while crisis of farmers and agricultural workers in Western, Southern and Northern India has received some attention in the media and central legislature, the plight of those in the Eastern region of the country (Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Eastern UP) has remained on the margins. To be addressed by P Sainath, founder of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), a statement issued ahead of the rally says, the Eastern India was the most prosperous regi...

'Centre criminally negligent': SKM demands national disaster declaration in flood-hit states

By A Representative The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has urged the Centre to immediately declare the recent floods and landslides in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Haryana as a national disaster, warning that the delay in doing so has deepened the suffering of the affected population.

Counterview

Search This Blog