Protesters torch buildings over dam project in India
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Citizen
Protesters set fire to buildings and clashed with police in India’s Arunachal Pradesh state to oppose an 11,200-megawatt dam project. About 40 police officers were injured and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation offices vandalised, according to regional chief minister Pema Khandu, cited by Citizen.
Protesters set fire to and vandalised public buildings on Friday 23 October in India’s Arunachal Pradesh state during a mobilisation against the 11,200-megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project hydroelectric scheme, authorities said. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
About 40 police officers were injured by stone-throwing, according to the state’s chief minister, Pema Khandu. The police station, the offices of state-owned company NHPC and the homes of several elected officials were attacked, he said on Saturday. Pema Khandu called on opponents of the dam to prioritise dialogue with the government.
New Delhi presents the project as a way to respond to China’s future $167 billion hydroelectric project in Tibet and to help maintain the flow of the Brahmaputra. Local communities, however, fear losing their land and homes.
The violence is taking place against a backdrop of persistent tensions between India and China along their Himalayan border. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the two countries maintained diplomatic and military mechanisms to prevent miscalculations and misunderstandings.
