https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/india-anti-dam-advoc...
https://arunachaltimes.in/index.php/2025/05/27/dc-lodges-complaint-again...
https://forum-asia.org/ebomili/
BANGKOK, Thailand (30 May 2025) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is deeply concerned over the continued targeting of Indian human rights defender Ebo Mili, following his vocal opposition against a dam project in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Local authorities filed a first investigation report against Mili after he was seen leading a peaceful protest against the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project on 22 and 23 May 2025, involving over 400 indigenous villagers in Beging village.
Mili was accused of violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a law routinely used to restrict public assemblies.
“FORUM-ASIA demands that the Indian Government stop targeting Ebo Mili. Reprisals and retaliation against human rights defenders and peaceful protestors must end. The government should help ensure that activists can carry on with their invaluable work without fear of harassment, detention, or violence,” said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.
Pattern of harassment
Mili is a prominent human rights lawyer who serves as the convenor of the Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum.
Due to his environmental and indigenous rights activism, he has faced a series of intimidation and judicial harassment.
Mili was detained twice before.
On 8 July 2024, ahead of a visit by the Union Power Minister, Mili was detained without a warrant. He was denied immediate access to legal counsel and held for approximately 10 hours before being released upon signing a one-year bond to refrain from activities deemed as “breaching the peace.”
On 12 August 2023, he was arrested during a peaceful protest against the signing of Memorandums of Agreement for multiple hydropower projects.
Impact on environment and human lives
The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project is a proposed 11,000 MW hydropower initiative on the Siang River. It is being developed by the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
It aims to counter China’s plans to build the world’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River–known as the Siang River in India–which threatens India’s territorial claim and water security in the northeast.
The project, however, poses significant threats to the environment and the rights of indigenous communities in the region.
Dam construction is expected to submerge vast tracts of forest land, leading to the loss of biodiversity and disruption of ecosystems. The alteration of the river’s natural flow could affect downstream wetlands and floodplains, which are crucial for maintaining ecological balance.
Environmentalists warn that the project could lead to the loss of critical habitats for wildlife, including endangered species such as the Bengal tiger and the Asian elephant.
In addition, the project threatens to displace numerous indigenous communities, including the Adi tribe, which has lived in the region for generations. These communities have deep cultural ties to the land and rely on the river for their livelihoods and spiritual practices.
Villagers fear potential mass displacement, environmental degradation, and threats to their cultural heritage. The Adi community, for whom the Siang River holds sacred significance, worries how the damming of the river could disrupt their traditional way of life and lead to the submergence of ancestral lands.
Despite international guidelines–such as those outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples–India has failed to obtain free, prior, and informed consent from affected groups.
Suppressing people’s right to protest
Communities in Arunachal Pradesh, particularly the indigenous Adi people, have been actively protesting against the said dam project.
The Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum, along with organizations like the All Adi Welfare Society and the Bango Students Union, has been at the forefront of these protests. Peaceful demonstrations have taken place in various locations, including Dite Dime, Geku, and Parong.
On 22 and 23 May 2025, two successive peaceful protests were held in Beging village. They were co-led by Mili and joined by hundreds of indigenous villagers opposing the proposed dam.
Following the protest, the district administration issued a prohibitory order under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, banning the assembly of four or more persons. This raises serious concerns over the order’s preemptive and disproportionate application to suppress constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.
In response to ongoing protests, the state government deployed Central Armed Police Forces to oversee the project’s pre-feasibility surveys. In a region where militarization–through the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958–remains rampant, this move is seen as an attempt to silence opposition. The Act allows security forces to use excessive force and escape accountability.
Several government employees and village heads have been served notices for participating in anti-dam protests, citing violations of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964.
The NHPC allegedly conducted surveys without proper consent. Such surveys were reportedly conducted at dawn to avoid detection. This has led to further distrust between communities and the government, especially since the latter is seemingly disregarding prior assurances that no dam would proceed without the people’s free, prior, and informed consent.
Women protesters also accused the police and Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Ojing Tasing, of assault, resulting in demands for the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Human Rights to conduct an independent probe.
Call to action
“FORUM-ASIA urges the Government of India to respect, promote, and advance people’s fundamental freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly,” Bacalso stressed.
“Stop criminalizing peaceful protests, including the misuse of Section 144 and other punitive actions aimed at deterring legitimate dissent,” Bacalso added.
Furthermore, the continued deployment of security forces in indigenous areas to facilitate “development” projects must cease. The militarized approach to infrastructure development alludes to a broader pattern of securitized governance in Northeast India.
Coercive consent is not consent. It violates communities’ fundamental right to say no.
FORUM-ASIA urges the government to halt the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project until comprehensive environmental and social impact assessments are completed.
Human rights and environmental justice should never be sacrificed in the name of “development.” In solidarity with the indigenous communities of Arunachal Pradesh, we call on the Indian Government to uphold its commitments to protect the environment and ensure human rights for all.
**
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is a network of 90 member organisations across 23 countries, mainly in Asia. Founded in 1991, FORUM-ASIA works to strengthen movements for human rights and sustainable development through research, advocacy, capacity development and solidarity actions in Asia and beyond. It has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and consultative relationship with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. The FORUM-ASIA Secretariat is based in Bangkok, with offices in Jakarta, Geneva and Kathmandu. www.forum-asia.org
For media inquiries, please contact:
- Communications and Media Programme, FORUM-ASIA, communication@forum-asia.org
"DC lodges complaint against anti-dam advocate Ebo Mili", 27 May 2025
Siang Deputy Commissioner PN Thungon has lodged a complaint at the Boleng police station in Siang district against anti-mega dam and human rights advocate Ebo Mili...
Thungon stated that Mili led a 'mob' of 80 to 90 individuals under the banner of the Siang Indigenous Farmers' Forum at the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) site in Begging, Siang district, to protest against the SUMP...
Thungon appealed to the Boleng police station to take action in accordance with the relevant sections of the law against Mili...
This latest development follows the state government's deployment of central armed personnel to facilitate a pre-feasibility study for the proposed 11,000 mw SUMP...
Many villagers in both Siang and Upper Siang districts have opposed the deployment of armed forces in the area...
Mili, a vocal critic of the state government's policies on mega projects, has already been detained twice
