Itanagar: The Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum (SIFF) on Tuesday claimed that 67 members of project-affected families were injured in clashes with security forces during protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.The claim came a day after Siang police said more than eight security personnel were injured in the clashes and that five people, including two women, had been arrested.The violence erupted at Uggeng in Siang district on Oct 4 amid continuing opposition to the pre-feasibility report (PFR) exercise for the proposed 11,000-MW multipurpose project on Siang river.In a report issued by SIFF general secretary Likeng Libang, the forum claimed that 52 people were injured at Riga and another 15 at Pangkang during the confrontation. Of the 67 injured, 31 suffered major injuries and 36 sustained minor injuries, it said.SIFF, which has been leading protests against the project, also alleged that eight vehicles belonging to project-affected families were badly damaged — four pick-up vehicles at Riga and four cars/pick-up vehicles at Pangkang.The forum separately claimed that seven project-affected people from Riew and Begging villages were injured in another incident near Siang bridge at Dite Dime. Five of them were from Riew and two from Begging, it said. One sustained major injuries, while six suffered minor injuries, according to the forum.The claims could not be independently verified. An official response from the district administration or police was awaited.As conflicting accounts of the violence continued to emerge, the All Adi Youth Association (AAYA) Apex condemned the clashes and called on state govt to open a dialogue with affected communities to restore peace in the Siang belt.Addressing mediapersons at Arunachal Press Club in Itanagar on Tuesday, AAYA IPR secretary Okut Tali alleged that govt had adopted a “dictatorial” approach by deploying additional security forces instead of engaging with residents of the 27 affected villages.“In our tribal society, before making any major decision, we sit in a kebang and hold discussions with local leaders. But no such talks have been held by the government. No one has approached the affected villages. Instead, numerous security personnel have been deployed,” Tali claimed.He also alleged that several gaon buras and gaon buris had been suspended for participating in the protests and that FIRs had been lodged against several people. He urged the administration to revoke the suspensions and withdraw the cases.Responding to govt’s contention that the proposed project was linked to national security concerns, Tali said officials should visit the affected villages and explain the issue directly to residents.“If there actually is a national security concern, the government should come to the affected villages and explain it to us,” he said.Tali also questioned claims that agreements or memorandums of understanding had been signed by affected villages consenting to the PFR exercise. He alleged that many of the documents did not reflect the position of the affected communities.Calling for dialogue to defuse tensions, Tali urged govt to engage community-based organisations and affected villagers to find an amicable solution.The Siang region has witnessed sustained protests against the PFR exercise, with project-affected communities demanding an immediate halt to survey-related activities for the proposed project.State govt, however, has maintained that the PFR is an initial exercise to assess the feasibility of the proposed project and does not amount to a decision to construct the dam.
