Arunachal Hydro War: Foreign Inflows Under Scanner Amid Violent Protests Against Siang Project

Protests against the proposed 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh have escalated sharply, exposing a complex clash between indigenous community anxieties and India’s critical national security agenda. The agitation, led by coalitions including the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum, Adi Bane Kebang United, the SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, and the Adi Galo Welfare Society alongside their respective youth wings, centres on severe local displacement concerns. Demonstrators fear the massive NHPC project will submerge roughly 27 villages, displace between 1 and 1.5 lakh residents, and permanently destroy ancestral lands, traditional livelihoods, and sacred cultural sites along the downstream Siang and Yarlung Tsangpo basin.However, recent developments have shifted official focus from grassroots dissent to national security and foreign funding investigations. Following violent outbursts in Pasighat during October 2026—which involved arson targeting an NHPC office and local police stations, as well as attacks on community leaders’ residences—central intelligence agencies assessed that the violence was not entirely organic. Intelligence reports indicate that local youth and Gen Z elements were mobilised following bandhs, pointing towards orchestrated agitation rather than spontaneous civilian outrage. n18oc_india CNN-News18 is your trusted source for breaking news, updates, and in-depth analysis from around the world. CNN-News18 is...