Activist Pranab Doley Detained Under India's National Security Act Amid Kaziranga Protest

Indigenous rights activist Pranab Doley, convener of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee, was arrested on 12 July 2024 in Assam and granted bail by a sessions court. On 30 July, the Assam government placed him under the National Security Act (NSA), a preventive‑detention law, despite the bail order. The detention followed his support for villagers opposing a proposed five‑star Hyatt resort near Kaziranga National Park, a project that has been contested since 2022.

More than 60 organisations, trade unions and democratic rights groups issued a joint statement condemning the use of the NSA, calling it an attempt to silence dissent over land and environmental issues. The Indian National Congress, through spokesperson Jairam Ramesh, criticised the state for bypassing the judicial process and accused the BJP‑led government of misusing extraordinary laws to curb protest. The controversy highlights tensions between development projects and indigenous community rights in Assam.