Staff Reporter

PASIGHAT, 26 Oct: Prominent anti-dam and human rights activist Ebo Mili and Otul Jerang, a youth leader who are currently in Pasighat police custody following their surrender over the weekend, have reportedly launched a hunger strike.

Sources say that the duo initiated their hunger strike on Monday morning.

The police have arrested them in connection with the recent violence that erupted during the agitation against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).

The duo had voluntarily surrendered at the Pasighat police station on Saturday afternoon to signal their cooperation with the law enforcement authorities after massive violence spiralled out of control late Friday night.

Meanwhile, family members of the detained activists have expressed deep anxieties regarding their physical well-being. Speaking to The Arunachal Times, a close relative of Ebo Mili shared that the activist suffers from chronic pre-existing health conditions, including hypertension and Type-2 diabetes.

The family voiced severe concern over his deteriorating health during the custody and appealed that proper, timely medical facilities and supervision be extended to him immediately.

Prior to their detention, both Mili and Jerang explicitly dissociated themselves from the core group of protesters involved in the destructive acts of arson and vandalism.

In statements issued to the public, they maintained that their democratic movement against the mega-dam is strictly intended to remain peaceful and non-violent.

Expressing profound distress over the chaos, they asserted that outside elements had hijacked a peaceful public bandh, leading to the unfortunate destruction of public and private properties.

According to the official arrest memo, the activists have been booked under Section 48 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, alongside the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.