India bars Arunachal anti-dam activist from flying to Bangladesh

PARBATTANEWS DESK

An Arunachal Pradesh-based human rights lawyer and environmental activist, Ebo Mili, was stopped from boarding a flight to Dhaka from Kolkata airport on Saturday.

Police in his home state had issued a lookout notice against him, according to reports by Maktoobmedia.com and Northeast Now.

Mili, known for opposing the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Hydropower Project, was scheduled to attend the Regional Infrastructure Monitoring Alliance (RIMA) conference in Dhaka from 5 to 7 October.

Northeast Now reported that the lookout notice was confirmed by Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Chukhu Apa.

The outlet said Mili has faced several police cases in recent months linked to his environmental activism.

Speaking to Maktoobmedia.com, Mili described the move as “harassment” and a “misuse of power.”

“We are being targeted for advocating against the Siang dam,” he said. “There are so many ministers with actual crimes, yet they go overseas; rapists and murderers get parole, while people working for environmental protection are being tagged as anti-national.”

Mili said immigration officials at Kolkata airport told him that the Arunachal Pradesh Police had “raised a security flag,” preventing him from boarding.

He added that he had earlier asked the police if any such notice existed and would not have travelled had he known.

Both Maktoobmedia.com and Northeast Now noted that this was the second recent instance of an anti-dam activist from Arunachal Pradesh being stopped from travelling abroad.

Last month, Northeast Now reported that Bhanu Tatak, legal adviser to the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum, was prevented from boarding a flight to Dublin under a similar notice.

Tatak was due to travel to Ireland for a three-month fellowship at Dublin City University.

According to Maktoobmedia.com, both activists were stopped on the basis of undisclosed complaints believed to be linked to protests against the mega dam on the Siang River.

Maktoobmedia.com reported that opposition to the government’s hydropower plans in the region has been growing.

Civil society members allege the projects were approved without the free, prior, and informed consent of local Gram Sabhas.

In June, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance of reports warning that the Siang dam could displace residents and harm the district’s ecology.

The commission issued notices to the Arunachal Chief Secretary and Police Chief, seeking a detailed report.

According to Maktoobmedia.com, the government has deployed central armed forces across parts of Siang district amid rising protests.

On 23 May, around 400 villagers joined a protest led by the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum against the dam construction in Beging village, Maktoobmedia.com reported.

Officials say the proposed Siang project aims to counter “perceived threats from China” by strengthening India’s infrastructure near the border.

For activists like Ebo Mili, however, the government’s actions reflect what he calls the criminalisation of dissent.

“It’s not about national security,” Mili said. “It’s about silencing voices that stand for their land and rivers.”