Staff Reporter

PASIGHAT, Oct 19: The East Siang district administration has denied permission for a proposed peaceful rally in Pasighat, organized to protest the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) and the pre-feasibility study being conducted to pave the way for the proposed 11,000 MW mega-dam initiative in the region.

Citizens had submitted an application seeking permission for the rally, which was scheduled to proceed from Daying Ering School to Gandhi Chowk between 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM against the project.

The proposed march was intended to pressure the state and central governments on four critical fronts: an immediate halt to all Pre-Feasibility Report activities, site drilling, and preliminary technical surveys on the Siang riverbed; the immediate and unconditional release of local activists and villagers detained during recent anti-dam agitations; legal intervention to drop and quash all First Information Reports registered against protesting citizens; and the immediate withdrawal of Central Armed Police Forces units currently deployed across the Siang sector.

Despite explicit assurances from the committee that the assembly would remain strictly disciplined, non-violent, and respectful of public property, the administration blocked the gathering.

The authority reiterated that any public programme requires formal, prior written permission obtained well in advance to ensure proper coordination with law enforcement agencies for maintaining law and order. Furthermore, the administration maintained that a massive political rally at this juncture would likely disrupt the ongoing celebrations of the Dussehra festival, which continues until October 21. The circular concluded with a stern warning that any unauthorized gathering or rally will invite strict legal action against both the organizers and individual participants under applicable provisions of the law.