“Protesting Siang Dam Is A Fight For Identity, Land & Environment”: Says Ebo Mili

The 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh has gathered national attention recently due to huge protest in the wake of the PFR (pre feasibility report) attempt made by authorities. The protest under the leadership of SIFF (Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum) was participated by huge numbers of villagers, fearing the loss of their ancestral land, livelihood and the environmental cost if the project gets materialized. 

Arunachal minister and local MLA Ojing Tasing had to face the wrath of the protesting villagers. This moment is filled with uneasy calmness. While the government is proffering the handsome packages as compensation to their loss, the villagers on the other hand stand firm in their position.

Pratidin Time spoke to Ebo Mili, a noted lawyer in Arunachal Pradesh and a fervent advocate against daming the Siang river.  

When asked about the present status of the movement and the  PFR, Ebo Mili said that Presently no activity is going on. “However, our movement against the dam is still strong. The paramilitary is still stationed at Geku, Yingkiong, Beging villages”—he apprised.

On how a false narrative was built regarding the PFR, he said that it was never consented by the villagers. The  local MLAs and ministers lured three people to sign the MoU for the PFR and gave out the news to every news media of Arunachal to create a false narrative.

⁠Amidst the protest a news got viral about Mili’s disappearance for a few days.

On it, he detailed us — “I was caught in a landslide in a no-network zone when I learned of an FIR filed against me by the Deputy Commissioner."

"Fearing phone tracking, I immediately switched off my device. Although I have always cooperated with every arrest or detention orders against me,  last December, the police deliberately harassed my host family, who are farmers, solely because I was staying at their home.”

“Therefore this time, I intentionally turned off my phone so that they would have trouble finding me and left for Shi Yomi district, heading toward Tato, a submergence village where the Tato-II 700MW Hydro Electric Project is proposed. However, due to relentless rain, I couldn’t reach my destination and became stranded in a landslide, forcing me to sleep in my car at a General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) camp. Unable to contact friends or family, I was presumed missing.”

North east has witnessed massive protests against big dams in the past two decades. The Subanshiri dam protest in Assam was an example. However, they finally fail and the govt wins over.

On whether Mili sees a difference in the current Siang protest and what he thinks about its sustainability, he told us—“As a matter of fact the Arunachal Pradesh have been protesting against the dam since late 90’s, it was during the Congress time when our CM Lt. Dorjee Khandu the father of present CM Pema Khandu had signed the MoUs of about more than 140 Dams, selling off our every major and small rivers to the dam developers and against that upfront money was taken.”

Adding further, Mili said—“It is not just Subansiri dam where the anti dam movement failed but it was 2880MW Dibang Multipurpose dam ( under construction/record holder in India) which also faced heavy protest but it failed due to the Durga Pooja firing incident. Wherein my people were shot and later we were branded as Moists back in 2012.”

Reminiscing the brutal handling of the protest against the dam back in 2016, Mili gave the account of it—“In the year 2016 two Budhist Lama were killed by the police who were protesting to release a fellow Buddhist lama (Lobsang Gyatso)  who was protesting against the dam.”

“Later it was revealed by an Ex CM Lt. kalikho Pul Suicide note that it was the present CM Pema Khandu allowed the police to shoot.”

Mili believes that the reason of failure against the dam movement is ascertainable to cruel crashing of  the protests while personally targeting those who are in leadership.

“I personally see that at some point of time we will be personally attacked and the villagers will be left alone and their movement against the dam will be easily crushed”—Mili expresses a probable sad reality. 

The people in Arunachal are protesting the dam fearing the loss of ancestral land, livelihood. In a sense they fear losing themselves. Losing what they are. 

Putting it to perspective, it appears that it is a fight for indignity, land, as well as environmental democracy.  On being asked how he sees it, Mili said—“ Yes we are Indigenous people of Arunachal and our identity, traditions, cultures are rooted to forest and rivers. Huge clearance of forest and damming the river is actually hitting our livelihood and our identity.”

“We are by birth a nature/environmental lover, we cannot over hunt or over cut the forest which will offend the spirit of forest and rivers, therefore it’s a fight for identity, land and environment.”

However, Mili believes that the hopes are still strong Judicially but politically very less.

ALSO READ: Siang Sings in Protest, Not Progress