The arrest of three prominent faces of the Pasighat agitation against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) - human rights lawyer and anti-dam activist Ebo Mili, and youth leaders Otul Jerang and Tajong Talom - has brought the unrest in Pasighat into sharper focus. The township witnessed mob violence, stone-pelting, arson, and widespread vandalism from Friday night to Saturday, including the burning of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) office, torching of police vehicles, damage to the Pasighat police station premises, and ransacking of the private residences of state BJP president Kaling Moyong, Pasighat West MLA Ninong Ering, and Mariyang-Geku MLA Oni Panyang.

Such acts of destruction cannot be justified and have overshadowed the agitation against the proposed mega-dam.

However, the detained leaders have explicitly dissociated themselves from the violence, maintaining that their movement was intended to remain peaceful, which prompted their surrender to the police. They have already stated that genuine protesting youths had no role in the midnight violence and arson, asserting instead that outside elements exploited the situation to carry out vandalism. These claims, including the circumstances surrounding the escalation, must be examined carefully.