Arunachal Pradesh Vendors Protest as Forest Officials Seize Wild Herbs and Vegetables in Itanagar Market

In early April 2025, the Itanagar Capital Region administration seized various traditional food items, including leafy vegetables and forest produce, from vendors in Gandhi Market, Itanagar. This action has sparked controversy, as it appears to conflict with legal protections for indigenous communities.

On April 8, 2025, approximately six officers from the Itanagar Capital Region administration conducted a seizure of various traditional food items from vegetable vendors in Gandhi Market, Itanagar. The confiscated items included honyor, banana flower (locally known as papuk, hoji, joka, marseng, and poto), wild mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tanam, tase, dried king chilli packets, and brooms. This action was based on a report from the Papum Pare Biodiversity Management Committee, which claimed that vendors were selling forest produce in the capital region. The local vegetable item was taken away and some were burnt in the mid of road.

 However, the seizure was executed without proper legal procedures, such as issuing seizure warrants or memos, and without prior notice to the vendors, leading to immediate economic and psychological distress for those affected.The vendors, predominantly women and often sole breadwinners, reported significant losses, with the seizure directly impacting their ability to sustain their livelihoods. The lack of transparency in the administration's actions, including the absence of clear authorization, has fueled accusations of arbitrariness and ignorance of local customs and legal rights.

The controversy is rooted in the apparent violation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, which ensures the rights of indigenous communities to use, collect, and sell certain forest produce. 

"Sol dodum" a social activist condemn those act and agitated against official for wrong fully seizing the local vegetables. APWWS (Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society)  has been at the forefront of condemning the incident, describing it as an "arbitrary and illegal" seizure that violates both legal and cultural norms.

The seizure has had immediate and tangible effects on the vendors, particularly women, who rely on selling these items at markets like Gandhi Market. The economic impact is significant, with vendors reporting losses of their daily earnings and the potential long-term threat to their livelihoods. Psychologically, the incident has caused distress, with vendors left pleading for the return of their produce.

The Arunachal Pradesh vegetable vendor controversy of April 2025 serves as a stark reminder of the delicate balance between conservation efforts and the rights of indigenous communities. The unauthorized and illegal seizure of traditional forest produce from vendors in Itanagar, as confirmed by the Forest Department, it also highlighted a lack of understanding or respect for the legal protections afforded to these communities under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, 2006.