Arunachal Pradesh Police Seek Search Warrants Against Journalist and Activists Following Dam Protests

Arunachal Pradesh Police have sought search warrants against four individuals, including a journalist, in connection with violence that broke out during protests in Pasighat town. The October 23 demonstrations were held in opposition to the proposed Upper Siang dam, a 12,500-megawatt hydropower project planned by the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.

According to Scroll, the police application submitted to the chief judicial magistrate targets Tongam Rina, deputy editor of The Arunachal Times, alongside youth leader Otul Jerang, activist Tajong Talom, and lawyer Sunny Tayeng. Jerang, Talom, and another activist, Ebo Mili, have already been arrested and placed in judicial custody regarding the unrest.

The protests escalated on October 23 when demonstrators vandalised and set fire to an NHPC office and a police station in Pasighat after security personnel deployed tear gas. Authorities have since arrested 69 individuals and detained four others in connection with the incident.

Media bodies, including the Arunachal Press Club and the Arunachal Union of Working Journalists, released a joint statement condemning the violence while asserting that the inclusion of Rina in the search warrant application poses a serious threat to press freedom. The organisations stated that the action raises concerns regarding the potential misuse of investigative powers against journalists covering contentious public matters, and demanded that authorities clarify the specific grounds for Rina's inclusion.

Responding on social media platform X, Rina stated that intimidation would not deter her writing or activism, adding that the violence could have been avoided with better handling by police and the government. Tayeng stated that surveillance measures may be linked to legal work concerning the dam case, in which Tayeng represents detained individuals.

The Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum estimates that the multipurpose project, initially proposed by NITI Aayog in 2017, will impact 27 villages along the river across the Siang and Upper Siang districts.