Arunachal anti-dam activists detained, harassed 'violating basic right to protest'

Counterview Desk
Global NGO network, International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), denouncing what it called the recent "illegal detention of Ebo Mili and Dunge Apang", has said in a statement, their only crime was they stood up against a "destructive" mega-dam in Arunachal Pradesh.
Ebo Mili, human rights lawyer and anti-dam advocate, and Dunge Apang, convenor of the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF), were released after more than 10 hours of detention after signed a bond not to hold future protests and to “keep the peace” related to a case under section 128 of the Indian Civil Defence Code, facing a Rs 50,000 penalty each for any breach of the bond.

Text:

The Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) denounces the arrest and detention of anti-dam activists Ebo Mili and Dunge Apang last July 8, 2024 by the Arunachal Pradesh Police.
Ebo Mili, human rights lawyer and anti-dam advocate, and Dunge Apang, convenor of the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF), were released after more than 10 hours of detention.
Both were asked to sign a bond not to hold future protests and to “keep the peace” related to a case under section 128 of the Indian Civil Defence Code, facing a Rs 50,000 penalty each for any breach of the bond.
The arrest and detention in Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh, North East India, was made to “maintain public order”, according to the police, during the visit of India’s Union power minister ML Khattar’s visit and the Memorandums of Agreement (MoAs) signing event of Arunachal Pradesh State with hydropower companies to build large dams.
According to SIFF, the proposed 11,000 MW Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage Project (USMP) “being considered of national importance” does not prioritize “environmental conservation led by community well being and our self-determination” and “long-term sustainability over short-term gains.”
The IPMSDL believes that the detention and harassment of Ebo Mili and Dunge Apang violates their basic freedoms to protest, their democratic rights to express redress, and creates a chilling effect on all citizens.
We echo the call of our members Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur (CRA) and Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), Sikkim on how this arrest violates their right as Indigenous Peoples rights defenders, and the peoples’ right to self-determined development over their land and resources, and right to free prior and informed consent.
Ebo Mili was earlier subjected to judicial harassment for his protest against large dams in March 2022 and August 2023, continuously criminalized and harassed for his activism, as featured in the IPMSDL Judicial Harassment Tracker.

Damming Arunachal Pradesh and Northeast India

The massive dam and hydropower projects threaten the very life of Indigenous Peoples, their ancestral lands, livelihoods, their culture and history as these rivers form part of the Siang River (as Brahmaputra’s main tributary from Tibet).
Similarly, the delicate ecosystems, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity in the region, with the experiences of landslides and flooding exacerbated by climate change, are now under irreversible and urgent threats impacting the people and their communities.

According to SIFF, communities have been protesting since 2008 against the dam that will submerge the Adi tribe villages. And now, concerns are heightened with the passing of Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, which can allow obliterating forests and dam building without any forest clearances.
Approximately 150,000 people, including the indigenous Adi people of Siang and Upper Siang districts, are believed to be wiped out if the USMP pushes through.
Mega dams and large hydropower projects, promoted as sources of renewable, “clean” and “green” energy, must clearly be denounced while peoples rights, lands and resources are casualties of foreign debt, loans and financing.
While community-led, alternative and sustainable sources of energy, community-owned and managed are championed grassroots, the current dominant economic, development and policy systems remain chained to for-profit and corporate investments.
This is evidenced by the social, cultural and environmental costs of large dams in the fragile Himalayan biodiversity with the 1200 MW Teesta III dam disaster in Sikkim, and now the proposed 11,000 MW USMP in Arunachal Pradesh and the proposed 520 MW Teesta IV Hydroelectric Project over the Teesta River.
Way back in August 2023, major central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) were signed with dam builders National Hydroelectric Power Commission (NHPC), Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDCL) and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO). Thirteen projects were signed.
SJVN has been allotted five projects from Dibang basin: Amulin HEP (420 MW), Emini (500 MW), Mihundon HEP (400 MW), Etalin HEP (3097 MW), Attunli HEP (680 MW). Five projects for NEEPCO are Tato-I HEP (186 MW), Tato-II HEP (700 MW), Naying HEP (1000 MW), Hirong HEP (500 MW) and Heo HEP (240 MW) in the Siang basin. The NHPC will take Kamala HEP (1800 MW) and Subansiri Upper HEP (2000 MW) in the Subansiri basin while THDCL will execute Kalai- II HEP (1200 MW) in Lohit basin.

Comments

Green Revolution’s reliance on chemical fertilizers, pesticides contributing to Punjab's health crisis

By Bharat Dogra, Jagmohan Singh* Punjab was once synonymous with robust health, particularly in its rural areas, where farmers were known for their strength and vitality. However, in recent years, reports from these villages tell a different story, with rising cases of serious health issues, including cancer. What led to this decline? The answer lies largely in the erosion of good nutrition, once a hallmark of Punjabi village life. The health of a population is closely tied to its nutrition, and Punjab's reputation as a provider of high-quality nutrition has suffered greatly. The loss of biodiversity in agriculture has led to a decrease in the variety and quality of crops, resulting in poorer nutrition. Pulses, a key source of protein, have seen a steep decline in cultivation due to the disruption of traditional farming practices by the Green Revolution. This has had a detrimental effect on both soil and human health. Although pulses are still available in the market, they are exp

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad* On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Bid to isolate India globally 'to drive it even closer' to long-time ally, Russia

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The relationship between India and Canada has plunged to unprecedented lows, with both governments seemingly exploiting the situation for their domestic political gains. Canada has long been home to several anti-India elements, with little action taken against them. When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984, some of these secessionist groups openly celebrated and issued further threats, particularly from Canada and Britain. While Britain eventually acted to contain such elements in the interest of maintaining ties with India, Canada did not. Over the years, India has sought the extradition of 23 criminals residing in Canada, but the Canadian government has mostly dismissed these requests, claiming these individuals have no criminal records in their country.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad* The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

Influence of mining corporations on policy makers 'leading to' erosion of democracy in Odisha

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* Odisha is rich in high-quality natural resources, including iron, bauxite, chromite, and manganese ore, as well as a variety of other valuable minerals like coal, limestone, dolomite, tin, nickel, vanadium, lead, graphite, gold, and gemstones. This resource-laden state is responsible for 57% of India’s iron ore production, hosting over 60 operational mines and more than 150 square kilometers under exploration for further mineral deposits.

How pseudo-liberals 'went wrong' in judging DY Chandrachud as Chief Justice India

By Shamsul Islam* DY Chandrachud took charge as Chief Justice of the Indian Supreme Court (SC) on November 09, 2022. On this occasion many of the pseudo-liberals who claimed to be defenders of the democratic-secular polity of India manifested great happiness. They declared that the time of SC being an appendage of the RSS-BJP government headed by PM Modi was over as Justice Chandrachud was a liberal judge committed to the democratic-secular polity of India.

NHRC failing to 'effectively address' human rights violations: NGO groups tell UN-linked body

By Rajiv Shah In a joint submission to the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions' (GANHRI's) Sub Committee on Accreditation (SCA), two civil society groups -- All India Network of NGOs and Individuals working with National and State Human Rights Institutions (AiNNI) and Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) -- have said that the National Human Rights Commission's (NHRC's) accreditation, deferred in 2016, 2023, and 2024, fails to find space on its website.

Search This Blog