A violent mob on Friday (October 23, 2026) caused widespread violence, vandalism, and arson in Pasighat in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The mob torched an office of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and a local police station, along with seven police vehicles. The violence follows a shutdown by anti-development elements, where demonstrations were organised against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), and anti-national Azadi slogans were raised.
During the violence in Pasighat, the mob breached police barricades, attacked police personnel, and pelted stones at the police station, resulting in several police personnel sustaining injuries. Consequently, the police had to use tear gas to disperse the mob and bring the situation under control.
As per reports, the mob also attacked and vandalised the residences of political leaders, including the houses and residential complexes belonging to BJP MLA Ninong Ering and National People’s Party MLA Oni Panyang, and BJP state president Kaling Moyong.
Violence broke out during a 12-hour bandh in Arunachal Pradesh over the proposed 11,200-MW Siang dam project. An NHPC office and two police vehicles were reportedly set ablaze, while several protesters, including women and students, sustained injuries. Protesters are seeking the release of 10 arrested activists and the withdrawal of security forces from the region. #ArunachalPradesh #SiangDam #Protests #Pasighat
— Northeast Now (@NENowNews) October 24, 2026
According to Siang Superintendent of Police Kamdam Sikhom, a crowd of 150-200 from Geku and Komkar in Upper Siang district gathered at Dite-Dime and attempted to enter Siang district. They were carrying machetes, lathis, slingshots, and other objects and were trying to breach police barricades, obstruct security personnel, and violate prohibitory orders issued by the district magistrate.
The mob was reportedly trying to enforce a 12-hour bandh in opposition to the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) at Dite-Dime in the district. The bandh caused extreme hardships to locals, disrupting the routine life of locals in parts of Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts. It forced local shops and business establishments to remain shut in several areas, and residents to stay confined to their homes.
Mob violence in the name of opposing the project
The mob violence comes as a result of certain local anti-development elements opposing a proposed hydroelectric project in the Siang region. They have been demanding the release of 10 people arrested by the police during an earlier agitation against the development project, the withdrawal of security forces from the Siang region and an immediate halt to the pre-feasibility report (PFR) survey work associated with the project.
A three-district shutdown was enforced by several local disruptive elements opposing the development project in the region. The shutdown received the support of groups like the Geku Youth Association and the Siang unit of the Public Right Association. It was observed in the Siang, East Siang, and Upper Siang districts.
Demonstrations were organised by anti-development elements in the guise of Gen Z-led protests. At one such demonstration at the Pasighat-Ranaghat Road, anti-national Azadi slogans along with several derogatory slogans were raised. The Azadi slogans have their genesis in the Islamic separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir, but they have been repeatedly used by Islamists and Leftists as a call for their shared goal of balkanisation of India.
The shutdown ended on Friday after it was declared illegal by the East Siang Deputy Commissioner of Police Jayanti Pertin on Thursday. However, hours after the bandh ended, a group of nefarious elements tried to enforce the shutdown in Pasighat and caused violence. A section of the mob set several police vehicles on fire at Ranagarh tri-junction, prompting the police to act. When the police tried to control the situation, the mob pelted stones at the police. As a result, the police used tear gas to disperse the mob. However, the mob did not stop there and went on to set the NHPC office and the Pasighat police station on fire.
Notably, the mob violence and the opposition to the proposed hydropower project come amid the recent Chinese incursions along the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. China has a history of encroaching on Indian territories along the Indo-China border and developing infrastructure on the encroached land. One of the ways India has been countering Chinese expansion is by developing infrastructure along the border.
What is the SUMP?
The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) is a proposed 11,000-megawatt mega-infrastructure and hydroelectric project planned along the Siang River in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The project has a primary geopolitical and strategic objective to protect India’s water security against China’s upstream infrastructure on the Yarlung Tsangpo (the Siang/Brahmaputra).
The project, being executed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), is designed to be the largest hydroelectric installation in the Indian subcontinent upon completion. Beyond power generation, its large storage capacity serves as a flood-control mechanism to regulate water discharge during peak monsoon seasons, protecting downstream regions in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It will also act as a massive storage reservoir to buffer against potential flash floods or sudden water flow manipulations caused by upstream Chinese dam projects.
The project is expected to drive economic and social growth, generate employment and self-employment opportunities for locals.
