Now that the festivities are over, time to recap a little on people who didn’t quite celebrate our 70th Independence Day. In Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh, Monpa monks, who have been protesting since 2012 under the organisation Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF) against the construction of mega hydropower projects in their district, wore black ribbons around their foreheads. The monks were protesting the revocation of the suspension of Superintendent of Police, Anto Alphanse.

On May 1, while protesting against the arrest of SMRF secretary, Lobsang Gyatso, members had barged into the Tawang Police Station. Events took an ugly turn when the police opened fire at the monks, leaving two monks dead and six injured. Although the SP was suspended on May 4, along with Deputy Commissioner Duly Kamduk and Officer In Charge (OC) Lam Dondhup, he has been reinstated as SP, since then.

The monks had earlier on August 8, sent a notice to the state administration along with Chief Minister Pema Khandu, demanding the SP’s suspension. The notice argued that while the final report into the incident of May 1 has not come out, the SP has been reinstated.

In a build-up to the protest, two local Twang MLAs, Jambey Tashi and Tsering Tashi as well as the District Commissioner met the members of SMRF on August 13. The monks were assured that the projects in the area would not be continued if the people don’t want them to. However, the issue of suspending the SP remained a major bone of contention between the two parties.