A protest strike (bandh) brought normal life to a standstill across Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday. The 12-hour bandh was jointly called by student unions and anti-dam groups in opposition to the Subansiri Upper Hydroelectric Project. The usually bustling hills of Upper Subansiri district fell silent as the All Upper Subansiri District Students’ Union (AUSDSU) and the All Tagin Students’ Union (ATSU) enforced the shutdown.

From dawn to dusk, shops remained closed, schools and offices deserted, and transport services suspended. While the bandh remained peaceful, it reflected the growing concern among the Tagin and Nyishi communities, who say the project—proposed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) at Menga, around 20 kilometers from Daporijo—poses a grave threat to their ancestral lands and fragile ecosystems. 

“We are not against development, but this is destruction disguised as progress,” said AUSDSU President Tadak Chokar, addressing reporters at the protest site. “The government has ignored every petition and appeal. This bandh is our last warning—cancel the project or face an indefinite strike.” The strike also exposed deepening rifts within the district, as several villages, including Riga and Begging—some of which had earlier signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)—withdrew their support in solidarity with the anti-dam movement.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)