India, Nov. 13 -- On October 23, Pasighat, the oldest town of Arunachal Pradesh, on the western bank of the Siang river, witnessed an un-precedented escalation in a four-decade-long resistance movement. By evening, protests by local communities against the proposed 11,200-megawatt (MW) Siang Upper Multipurpose Project had turned violent.

Police say the situation deteriorated between 5 pm and 6.30 pm, as darkness fell. A crowd of 200-300 people began pelting police officers with stone. Police fired tear-gas shells after protesters allegedly refused to clear the highway. The violence damaged government buildings, private property and also the Pasighat police station. The office of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) was rep...