Centre rushes 250 RAF personnel to Arunachal after protests over hydropower project
The Indian government has deployed 250 Rapid Action Force personnel to Arunachal Pradesh following violent protests against a major hydropower project. The unrest included the destruction of government property and attacks on political residences, prompting calls for peace from state leadership.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the tension between large-scale infrastructure development and local community opposition in sensitive border regions.
NEW DELHI: The Centre has sent two companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to Arunachal Pradesh following violence in Pasighat during protests against the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, officials said on Sunday.The ministry of home affairs (MHA) directed on Saturday that the two companies, comprising around 250 personnel, be airlifted from Navi Mumbai aboard an Indian Air Force transport aircraft. The units are expected to reach Pasighat and be deployed by Sunday, officials told news agency PTI.The RAF is a specialised anti-riot unit of the CRPF whose personnel wear blue uniforms.Several CRPF units are already deployed in the violence-hit areas. Arunachal Pradesh also has a permanent deployment of around two to three CRPF battalions.Officials said CRPF personnel had effectively handled the protests since Friday and prevented the violence from escalating.
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