In late October, the Adi people of Arunachal Pradesh, whose lives and faith are bound to the Siang River and the forests along its banks, found their unease over a proposed hydroelectric giant turning into streets full of confrontation. A 12-hour shutdown on October 23 across several Siang-region districts gave way to vandalism in Pasighat, while the Congress leader Pawan Khera turned the matter into a national question about who stands with a minority in its own land. Beneath the political sparring lies an old human tension: a river's future weighed against a community's sense of what is sacr
Khera Demands Rijiju Explain Steps to Protect Adi Rights as Arunachal Dam Protests Escalate
Tear gas was reportedly fired at protesters in Arunachal Pradesh, and vandalism, looting and property damage were reported in Pasighat during the bandh.
Khera asked what Rijiju was doing to protect the Adi in his own home state
Mark
Why did Khera aim this at Rijiju specifically?
Mimi
Because Rijiju is the Union Minister for Minority Affairs and comes from Arunachal. Khera argues the Adi are a religious and cultural minority tied to the Siang River, so he is asking the minister who holds that portfolio to speak.
Luke
Worth noting that is Khera's characterisation. The report doesn't show any official body ruling on the Adi's status in this context.
Mark
He also says tear gas was fired. Is that established?
Mimi
It is his allegation, posted on X. The chief minister's remarks in the same report focus on vandalism and looting in Pasighat.
Luke
Right. Nothing here confirms or denies the tear gas. And Khandu said the bandh was largely peaceful during the day, so the damage presumably came later, but the report doesn't say when or who was responsible.
Mark
What is Khandu offering the protesters?
Mimi
Talks. He invited the Adi Bane Kebang youth wing and the Youth Association, and said he would spend the whole month focused on the Siang region until the pre-feasibility report is done.
Luke
An invitation isn't an agreement. We don't know whether they will attend, and the report doesn't say what the talks could change about the project.
Mark
Even the project's size is stated two ways.
Mimi
Yes, 11,000 MW in Khera's post and 11,200 MW in the account of Khandu's outreach.
Luke
Which is a reminder to treat the numbers as attributed, not settled.
El Pulso
- A 12-hour bandh on October 23 shut down much of the Siang region, and Adi communities pressed their opposition to the proposed Upper Siang dam into the streets.
- Vandalism, looting and property damage in Pasighat turned a largely peaceful shutdown into a scene of disorder that the state government now has to answer for.
- Congress leader Pawan Khera accused authorities of firing tear gas at peaceful protesters and pressed Union minister Kiren Rijiju to explain his duty to Adi minority rights.
- Chief Minister Pema Khandu is reaching for dialogue, inviting the ABK youth wing and the Youth Association to talks and pledging to remain in the Siang region until the pre-feasibility report is complete.
In late October, the Adi people of Arunachal Pradesh, whose lives and faith are bound to the Siang River and the forests along its banks, found their unease over a proposed hydroelectric giant turning into streets full of confrontation. A 12-hour shutdown on October 23 across several Siang-region districts gave way to vandalism in Pasighat, while the Congress leader Pawan Khera turned the matter into a national question about who stands with a minority in its own land. Beneath the political sparring lies an old human tension: a river's future weighed against a community's sense of what is sacred and what is owed to it. The state has chosen to answer with conversation and a promise of presence, and whether that patience can hold the valley together is still unsettled.
On Saturday, October 25, Congress leader Pawan Khera posted a sharp question on X for Kiren Rijiju, the Union minister who heads the Ministry of Minority Affairs. What, he asked, was the minister doing to protect the Adi community of Arunachal Pradesh, who have been protesting a proposed dam on the Siang River? Khera linked the unrest to protests by young people elsewhere in the country, and alleged that tear gas had been fired at peaceful protesters in Arunachal, a claim the state has not confirmed in this account. He described the Adi as a religious and cultural minority whose beliefs are rooted in the river and forests, and he noted the proposed 11,000 MW dam in Upper Siang.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu offered a different picture. He spoke of a 12-hour bandh on October 23 across Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts, organised against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, which he said had remained largely peaceful during the day. The evening brought vandalism, looting and property damage in Pasighat. The project is listed at 11,200 MW in the government's account, a small difference from Khera's figure.
Khandu has opened a door to dialogue. He invited the youth wing of Adi Bane Kebang and the Youth Association to talks, and pledged to spend the month in the Siang region until the pre-feasibility report is finished. Whether the youth groups accept, and what the report brings, are the questions now waiting. Rijiju had not responded to Khera at the time of reporting.
On Saturday, October 25, Congress leader Pawan Khera went to X with a pointed question for a Union minister: what, exactly, was he doing to protect the people of his own home state? The minister was Kiren Rijiju, who heads the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The people were the Adi community of Arunachal Pradesh, who have been protesting a proposed dam on the Siang River.
Khera framed the unrest in Arunachal as part of a wider pattern. Young people across the country, he wrote, were taking to the streets: in Delhi over education, and in Arunachal Pradesh against the dam and in defence of forests, rivers and ecosystems. In both places, he alleged, the government's answer had been the same. He wrote that tear gas had been fired at peaceful protesters in Arunachal Pradesh, which he called a chilling reminder of the student protests in Delhi.
Khera also described the Adi as a religious and cultural minority whose beliefs and traditions are deeply rooted in the Siang River and the forests alongside it. He said they are protesting the proposed 11,000 MW dam in the Upper Siang region. His question to Rijiju carried a jab at Home Minister Amit Shah, whom he described as busy making thank-you calls to Delhi Police. Would the minority affairs minister, he asked, kindly explain what he was doing to protect the minority rights of the Adi people?
The state government has been telling a different story. Chief Minister Pema Khandu, speaking the same Saturday, expressed concern over vandalism, looting and damage to property in Pasighat. These incidents followed a 12-hour bandh on October 23 in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts, called by organisations opposing the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, known as SUMP. Khandu said the bandh itself had remained largely peaceful during the day in Siang and Upper Siang districts and in Pasighat.
The two accounts are not necessarily contradictory, but they emphasise different things. Khera speaks of peaceful protesters met with tear gas. The chief minister speaks of a calm day that was followed by property damage. The reporting here does not reconcile the two, and Khera's tear gas claim is his allegation rather than something the state government has confirmed in this account.
The figures for the project also differ slightly. Khera cited an 11,000 MW dam, while the report on Khandu's outreach refers to the proposed 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project.
Khandu has moved to open a channel of dialogue. He has invited the youth wing of Adi Bane Kebang (ABK) and the Youth Association to discuss the project, as protests continue. He also said he would dedicate the entire month to the Siang region and keep visiting until the pre-feasibility report process is completed.
What to watch next is whether the youth groups accept the invitation, and what the pre-feasibility report process produces while the chief minister is in the region. Rijiju had not, in this report, responded to Khera's question.
Citas Notables
Khera asked whether Rijiju would explain what he is doing to protect the minority rights of the Adi people in his home state.— Pawan Khera, Congress leader, on X
Khandu said the bandh remained largely peaceful during the day but expressed concern over vandalism, looting and property damage in Pasighat.— Pema Khandu, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister
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