PRESS STATEMENT
Date: 13 October 2026
CASR Strongly Condemns Arrest of Four Activists Under APUAPA, 2014; Expresses Solidarity with the People of Arunachal Pradesh Resisting the Proposed Siang Mega-Dam
New Delhi: The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) strongly condemns the detention of four activists under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (APUAPA), 2014, for opposing the pre-feasibility report (PFR) studies for the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). CASR stands in solidarity with the people of Arunachal Pradesh resisting the proposed mega-dam and demands the immediate release of the detained activists, the withdrawal of security forces from the affected areas, and the scrapping of the proposed project.
The four residents of Geku in Upper Siang district—Adum Tayom, Omak Paron, Okut Paloh and Oson Paron—were detained following protests against the proposed project. Their detention raises serious concerns about the use of repressive laws to suppress democratic dissent and criminalise communities defending their ancestral lands, livelihoods and environment.
The struggle in Arunachal Pradesh must be understood in the broader context of the increasing criminalisation of anti-displacement movements and the systematic targeting of Adivasi, Indigenous and other marginalised communities resisting the appropriation of their land and natural resources for large infrastructure and corporate projects.
From Kaziranga to the Siang Valley: Criminalising Resistance to Displacement
Only a few months ago, Assam witnessed a similar confrontation between communities defending their land and a state government determined to pursue a corporate development project. In Kaziranga, Indigenous and Adivasi communities, including tea workers and their families, protested against the proposed luxury hotel project near Kaziranga National Park, raising concerns about land rights, displacement and environmental destruction.
The movement led by anti-displacement activist Pranab Doley challenged the proposed transfer of land for a luxury resort project associated with Hyatt at Inglay Pathar near Kaziranga. Instead of addressing the grievances of the affected communities, the Assam Police arrested Doley and other activists in connection with the protests. Doley was subsequently detained under the National Security Act (NSA) after securing bail in the criminal case, prompting widespread condemnation from civil liberties organisations and democratic movements.
The events in Kaziranga and the Siang Valley reveal a disturbing pattern: when communities question projects that threaten their land, livelihoods and environment, their concerns are increasingly treated as security problems rather than legitimate democratic grievances. Activists who stand alongside these communities face arrest, criminal cases and prolonged detention.
Both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The developments in these states raise serious questions about the approach of BJP-led governments towards Indigenous rights, environmental protection and democratic dissent. Instead of ensuring that affected communities have a meaningful say in decisions concerning their future, the authorities have resorted to coercive measures against those opposing controversial projects.
A Wider Pattern of Repression Across Adivasi Regions
The repression in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam is not an isolated phenomenon. Across mineral-rich Adivasi regions of central and eastern India, communities resisting mining, industrial projects, dams and other large-scale infrastructure developments face police action, criminal cases and the arrest of movement leaders and human rights defenders.
In Odisha, Adivasi and Dalit communities resisting bauxite mining in areas such as Sijimali have faced intimidation, police violence, arrests and criminal cases. Reports from the region have documented the growing use of state power against people defending their land, forests, water sources and traditional livelihoods.
Across these regions, anti-displacement activists and human rights defenders are increasingly being portrayed as threats to public order and national security. Central agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and state police forces have been used in cases involving activists and movements challenging state policies and development projects. The use of stringent laws, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), preventive detention provisions and state-specific security legislation, raises grave concerns about the erosion of civil liberties and the right to dissent.
The consequences are particularly severe for Adivasi communities, whose relationships with land, forests, rivers and natural resources are central to their social, cultural and economic existence. When these communities resist displacement and the transfer of natural resources to powerful corporate interests, their struggles are frequently met with surveillance, intimidation, arrests and prolonged legal proceedings.
The criminalisation of resistance allows the concerns of affected communities to be sidelined while projects proceed amid fear and insecurity. It also creates an atmosphere in which villagers may be afraid to participate in public meetings, oppose land acquisition or speak openly about the consequences of proposed developments.
Development Cannot Be Imposed Through Repression
The proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, with a planned capacity of approximately 11,000 MW, threatens to transform the lives of communities along the Siang River. Residents have raised serious concerns about displacement, ecological damage, the destruction of livelihoods and the possible loss of ancestral lands and cultural heritage.
For Indigenous communities, the Siang River is not merely a source of electricity or a resource to be exploited for commercial development. It is deeply connected to their history, culture, identity and way of life. The people who will bear the consequences of the project must have the right to question it and participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their future.
The deployment of security forces and the detention of protesters cannot substitute for democratic consultation and public consent. Nor can the use of repressive laws resolve the fundamental questions raised by communities about land, displacement, environmental destruction and their right to determine their future.
CASR believes that development must not come at the cost of the fundamental rights of Indigenous and Adivasi communities. The protection of corporate and state interests cannot take precedence over people's democratic rights, their relationship with their land, or their right to live without fear of forced displacement.
The struggles in Kaziranga, the Siang Valley and the Adivasi regions of Odisha and central India are connected by a common concern: the right of people to defend their land, livelihoods and environment without being criminalised for doing so.
CASR calls upon democratic organisations, civil liberties groups, trade unions, student organisations, environmental movements and concerned citizens across the country to stand in solidarity with the people of Arunachal Pradesh and all communities resisting displacement and the destruction of their natural environment.
CASR DEMANDS
1. Immediate and unconditional release of the four detained activists—Adum Tayom, Omak Paron, Okut Paloh and Oson Paron—and an end to the criminalisation of people protesting the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.
2. Immediate withdrawal of security forces from the affected villages and an end to intimidation, surveillance and harassment of protesters and community members.
3. Scrapping of the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project and an immediate halt to project-related activities that threaten the land, livelihoods, culture and environment of affected communities.
4. Withdrawal of cases against anti-displacement activists and community members who have been targeted for participating in peaceful protests and defending their rights.
5. An end to the misuse of repressive laws, including the APUAPA, UAPA and NSA, to silence democratic dissent and target Indigenous rights defenders, environmental activists and human rights workers.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST STATE REPRESSION
Organising Team:
(AIRSO, APCR, ASA, BASF, BSM, Bhim Army, bsCEM, CEM, COLLECTIVE, CRPP, CSM, CTF, DISSC, DSU, DTF, Forum Against Repression Telangana, Fraternity Movement, IAPL, Innocence Network, Karnataka Janashakti, LAA, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, NAPM, Nazariya Magazine, Nishant Natya Manch, Nowruz, NTUI, People's Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Samajwadi Lok Manch, Bahujan Samajwadi Manch, United Peace Alliance, WSS, Y4S)
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