Arrest of Assam artist in Arunachal sparks protest, youth outfit threatens indefinite road blockade
India Today
The arrest of artist-cum-activist Nilim Mahanta and advocate E Mili for allegedly defacing an artwork on the boundary wall of the civil secretariat sparked protests in Arunachal Pradesh.
A graffiti artist who was among the two persons arrested in Arunachal Pradesh for allegedly defacing an artwork on the boundary wall of the civil secretariat has found support in a youth organisation that has threatened to block roads for an indefinite period in protest.
Nilim Mahanta, an artist-cum-activist, was held in North Lakhimpur district in Assam, while another person, advocate E Mili, was apprehended from Roing in Lower Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday night.
They have been accused of defacing a portion of a mural on the civil secretariat wall, depicting art and culture of the tribal community, by drawing a resistance logo on it and writing ‘No More Dams’ with black paint, the Capital Region Superintendent of Police in Arunachal Pradesh, Jimmy Chiram said.
A case under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 has been registered against them at the Itanagar police station, the SP said.
Several activists and locals had been opposing the Dibang multipurpose project in Arunachal Pradesh over issues ranging from displacement and deforestation to loss of community land.
Taking exception to the police action, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) on Monday announced that it would stage an indefinite road blockade if Mahanta is not released within 12 hours.
"This fascist government now fears everyone. They fear democratic protests, power of pen, free speech and artists... they are trying to suppress people due to that fear," AJYCP General Secretary Palash Changmai said on his Facebook page.
