Tensions are rising in Arunachal Pradesh over the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, as protesters on Thursday demanded the release of detained activists and the withdrawal of cases linked to the anti-dam agitation.
The protests have primarily emerged from fears of losing ancestral land, the impact on affected communities at large and, above all, the potential consequences for the River Siang itself.
While protests are permitted in democracies, to what extent can they remain unchecked when they turn violent or cause mayhem? The destruction that occurs during protests when the crowd turns into a mob only shifts the focus away from the actual cause.
Why are elected representatives' homes being targeted during protests?
And that's what appears to be becoming a recurring pattern in the Northeast. The targeting of elected representatives' private properties during protests in the region deserves greater national attention.
While the media was busy reporting on large-scale arson during protests in France and Serbia, the recurring targeting of elected representatives' homes during unrest in India's Northeast appears to have received comparatively less national attention.
The latest to get sucked into this trend is Pasighat West MLA Ninong Ering of Arunachal Pradesh, whose ancestral home in Pasighat was allegedly vandalised and looted during unrest linked to protests against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project last week.
"Democracy protects the right to protest, not the right to destroy. Justice must be delivered through institutions, never through intimidation, arson or collective vengeance," advocate AM Iktear Uddin (Anik), co-founder & managing partner, Prime Legal, told The Free Press Journal.
For Ninong Ering, the house has a deep personal connection, as it was built in 1954 by his late father, Dr Daying Ering. Whatever the reasons for the protests, which might even be legitimate, causing damage to the private property of an elected representative goes beyond all ethics of democracy.
Significantly, MLA Ering is not the only one to face this misfortune.
In November 2024, during the height of protests in Manipur, irate mobs set fire to the residences of three BJP legislators, including a senior minister and a Congress MLA in various districts of Imphal Valley. Chief Minister N Biren Singh's ancestral residence was narrowly saved by security forces.
An enraged mob torched the houses of PWD Minister Govindas Konthoujam at Ningthoukhong, Hiyanglam’s BJP MLA Y Radheshyam at Langmeidong Bazar, Wangjing Tentha’s BJP MLA Paonam Brojen in Thoubal district and Khundrakpam’s Congress MLA Th Lokeshwar in Imphal East district.
This arson followed the attack on the residences of three state ministers and six MLAs.
In June 2023, the house of Congress MLA K Ranjit Singh in Serou, Kakching district, Manipur, was set on fire during ethnic violence in the state.
In September 2015, a mob set on fire the residences of Manipur minister in charge of family welfare, P Tonsing and two MLAs—M Vaiphei and V Ralte—in Churachandpur district hours after three bills—Protection of Manipur Peoples Bill 2015, Manipur Land Revenue, and Land Reforms Bill 2015—were passed in the 60-member state Assembly.
Why the right to protest is not a licence to destroy property
Although mob violence may appear to be a wild reaction in the heat of the moment, there can be a method to the madness. The targeting of MLAs' and ministers' private properties may be an act of revenge or a pre-planned attack hidden under the garb of mob mentality. Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes mob mentality as “a large and disorderly crowd of people, especially one bent on riotous or destructive action.”
Mob violence should be examined through both legal and psychological perspectives, but these perspectives serve different purposes.
"Psychologically, mob violence may arise from collective frustration, perceived injustice, emotional contagion and reduced individual accountability within crowds. However, psychological explanations cannot become legal justifications for violence," said advocate Anik.
There are laws that can be invoked against such acts.
“Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, individuals involved in such incidents may face charges relating to unlawful assembly under Section 189, rioting under Section 191 and liability arising from the common object of an unlawful assembly under Section 190," said Akshat Khetan, founder of AU Corporate Advisory & Legal Services in Mumbai. "Section 326(g), dealing with mischief by fire or explosive substance intended to destroy a building ordinarily used as a human dwelling, may attract imprisonment for life or imprisonment extending to ten years, along with a fine."
