The court of the sessions judge in East Siang district granted interim protection from arrest to 13 applicants in two cases registered at the Boleng police station over protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).

However, despite the interim protection granted to the applicants, three people remain in custody, while four villagers from Geku in Upper Siang district - Adum Tayom, Omak Paron, Okut Paloh, and Oson Paron - have been detained under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014 (APUAPA) since 9 October.

The case concerns allegations of vandalism and damage to property in Uggeng, as well as alleged assault and other offences involving CRPF personnel. Uggeng was the site of a protest that left many villagers and law enforcement personnel injured. The villagers opposed to the project have been targeted mercilessly by state power. This contravenes the government's narrative that the SUMP will only happen with the support of the people. If consent has to be obtained using state suppression, it is not actual consent. It is coercion, and so far, the government has been indulging in this, sending a message that it will use violence to force compliance.