Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court wants answers. It ordered the Assam government to explain the detention of indigenous rights activist Pranab Doley under the National Security Act. The Home and Political Department must appear in court on September 14. Senior Advocate Santanu Borthakur and Advocate Dipesh Agarwala represent Doley in this legal fight.
Authorities snatched Doley back into custody on July 30. This happened one day after a Golaghat court granted him bail in a case involving protests against a luxury hotel project near Kaziranga National Park. The government issued the detention order under Section 3(2) of the NSA, citing a report from the Senior Superintendent of Police in Golaghat. State officials claim Doley’s actions were "prejudicial to the maintenance of public order as well as the security of the State" and that normal laws could not stop him.
The state’s case rests on 13 criminal matters filed between 2017 and 2026. These cover charges from extortion and communal incitement to violence and obstruction of public servants. Investigators also point to his overseas travel, foreign remittances, and protests against the hotel project at Inlay Pathar. Doley was initially arrested on July 12 under Bokakhat Police Station Case No. 108/2026. The Golaghat court bail order previously mocked the prosecution for lacking video proof of attacks and failing to recover alleged weapons like machetes.
The court now ensures Doley keeps his rights. Justice Manish Choudhury ruled on August 7 that Doley’s family and legal counsel can visit him in Golaghat District Jail without needing arbitrary permission from the district magistrate. This followed a struggle where jail staff ignored multiple requests from Doley’s father. The judge cited a 1981 Supreme Court ruling to protect Doley's access to his family and lawyer.
Meanwhile, the pressure over the luxury hotel project continues. Police also summoned Geeta Gowala, an Adivasi woman protester, to the Kohora police outpost regarding a separate May 30 FIR. The High Court hearing on September 14 will decide if Doley’s detention holds up under the law.
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