India, Oct. 26 -- The sudden spurt of violence in the agitation opposing the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh should be a matter of national concern for both strategic and environmental reasons. Authorities should note that a second flashpoint in a northeastern state - after three years of strife in Manipur - is undesirable. But embedded in the agitation are legitimate grievances of local residents - who fear ecological destruction - that deserve a patient and fair hearing.

At the heart of the dispute is the Siang - known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in China, before it meets other tributaries to form the Brahmaputra in Assam - that has sustained generations of communities in Arunachal Pradesh. Fo...