Assam Activist Pranab Doley Jailed as Kaziranga Hotel Protests Escalate

Guwahati: Assam police arrested land rights activist Pranab Doley on Sunday from his Guwahati residence in Sundarpur. He is now being held in seven-day police custody following a Monday court appearance in Bokakhat. Authorities booked him under various Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections, including 61(2), 62, 74, 121(1), 121(2), 132, 190, 191(2), 191(3), 221, 324(2), 326(G), 329(3), and 351(3).

The FIR alleges Doley led a group to trespass into a proposed Tea Tribes Museum site and the nearby ATDC Hyatt project at Ingle Pathar. Police claim the protesters carried deadly weapons, obstructed work, threatened staff, and assaulted officers. As police detained him, Doley shouted to reporters: "The police picked me up without giving any reason or prior notice. If we cannot raise even a single voice for the people, what kind of democracy is this? The police have kidnapped me like a goon. Himanta Biswa Sarma's dictatorship will not work."

Doley, an indigenous Mising community member and TISS graduate, leads the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee. He opposes the transfer of land at Ingle Pathar to the Assam Tourism Development Corporation for five-star hotel projects. Protesters argue this site serves as vital grazing land and wildlife flood refuge. In June, 20 Adivasi families petitioned the Gauhati High Court, alleging the government bypassed due process and ignored environmental impact assessments. They claim ancestral land rights dating back decades.

Cabinet Minister Atul Bora defended the project Monday, citing a surge in tourist footfall. He claimed the government provided rehabilitation and land pattas to affected tea garden workers under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Bora alleged Doley is obstructing progress for political gain. "A lot of development work is underway in Bokakhat," Bora said. "As tourist footfall continues to increase, there is a clear need for more hotels and tourism infrastructure."

The arrest triggered political outcry. Raijor Dal MLAs Akhil Gogoi and Mehboob Mukhtar staged an Assembly walkout Monday, while APCC president Gaurav Gogoi labeled the arrest an assault on democratic dissent. The Bhumi Adhikar Joutha Sangram Samiti, All India Kisan Sabha, Sustha Samaj Bikash Chakra, and Asom Nagarik Sanmilan have all demanded his release. Doley was previously a representative at the 14th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva.