The four residents of Geku in Upper Siang district—Adum Tayom, Omak Paron, Okut Paloh and Oson Paron—were detained following protests against the project (photo), according to CASR. In a statement, the organisation expressed solidarity with the people of Arunachal Pradesh resisting the proposed dam and alleged that stringent laws were being used to suppress democratic dissent and criminalise communities defending their ancestral lands, livelihoods and environment.
CASR said the detentions must be viewed in the wider context of the growing criminalisation of anti-displacement movements and the targeting of Adivasi, Indigenous and other marginalised communities opposing the appropriation of their land and natural resources for large infrastructure and corporate projects.
Drawing parallels with the protests against a proposed luxury hotel project near Kaziranga National Park in Assam, CASR said communities resisting displacement were increasingly facing police action instead of having their grievances addressed. The organisation referred to the arrest of anti-displacement activist Pranab Doley and other activists who opposed the proposed transfer of land for a luxury resort associated with Hyatt at Inglay Pathar near Kaziranga. Doley was subsequently detained under the National Security Act (NSA) after securing bail in the criminal case, the statement said.
According to CASR, the developments in Kaziranga and the Siang Valley point to a pattern in which opposition to projects threatening land, livelihoods and the environment is treated as a security issue rather than a legitimate democratic concern. The organisation said activists supporting affected communities faced arrests, criminal cases and prolonged detention.
Noting that Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are both governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), CASR raised concerns about the approach of the state governments towards Indigenous rights, environmental protection and democratic dissent. It alleged that coercive measures were being used against people opposing controversial development projects instead of ensuring their meaningful participation in decisions affecting their future.
The organisation also cited instances of alleged repression against communities resisting bauxite mining in Odisha, particularly in areas such as Sijimali, where Adivasi and Dalit communities have raised concerns about land, forests, water sources and traditional livelihoods. CASR said police action, intimidation, arrests and criminal cases against anti-displacement activists were part of a broader pattern affecting communities across mineral-rich Adivasi regions of central and eastern India.
The statement expressed concern over the use of stringent laws, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), preventive detention provisions and state-specific security legislation, against activists and movements challenging development projects and state policies. CASR said such measures threatened civil liberties and the right to dissent, particularly for communities whose social, cultural and economic lives were closely connected to their land and natural resources.
On the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, CASR said the planned capacity of approximately 11,000 MW could have far-reaching consequences for communities living along the Siang River. Residents have raised concerns about displacement, ecological damage, the loss of livelihoods and the potential destruction of ancestral lands and cultural heritage, the organisation said.
“The Siang River is not merely a source of electricity or a resource to be exploited for commercial development,” CASR said, emphasising its significance to the history, culture, identity and way of life of Indigenous communities.
The organisation maintained that communities likely to be affected by the project must have the right to question it and participate meaningfully in decisions concerning their future. It said the deployment of security forces and the detention of protesters could not substitute for democratic consultation and public consent.
“Development must not come at the cost of the fundamental rights of Indigenous and Adivasi communities,” CASR said, adding that state and corporate interests should not take precedence over people's democratic rights, their relationship with their land or their right to live without fear of forced displacement.
CASR has demanded the immediate release of Tayom, Paron, Paloh and Paron, the withdrawal of security forces from affected villages, and an end to alleged intimidation, surveillance and harassment of protesters. It has also called for the withdrawal of cases against anti-displacement activists and community members, an end to the use of laws such as the APUAPA, UAPA and NSA against those exercising their right to dissent, and an immediate halt to project-related activities that threaten affected communities.
Calling for nationwide solidarity, CASR urged democratic organisations, civil liberties groups, trade unions, student organisations, environmental movements and concerned citizens to support the people of Arunachal Pradesh and other communities resisting displacement and environmental destruction.
The statement was issued by CASR's organising team, which includes several civil liberties, human rights, labour, student and social justice organisations.
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