Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday accused the BJP-led state government of using the police to suppress democratic dissent following the detention of indigenous and land rights activist Pranab Doley, who has been leading protests against the proposed construction of luxury hotels near Kaziranga National Park.
Doley, convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee (GKLHRPC), was detained by Dispur Police from his rented accommodation in Guwahati’s Sundarpur area.
Reacting to the detention, Gogoi said that the government was attempting to silence voices critical of its policies.
“Trying to silence voices by sending the police merely because they oppose the government is not the character of Indian democracy. While the BJP government speaks of protecting ‘jati-mati-bheti’ and democracy, it simultaneously attempts to suppress dissent through police action,” he said.
Calling the action against Doley and activist Aditya Rabha “deeply disturbing”, Gogoi questioned whether raising concerns over the rights of indigenous communities had become an offence in Assam.
“Has speaking up for one’s rights become a crime in Assam? A democratic government answers criticism through dialogue, reason and transparency, not through police action. Voices may be targeted, but truth and the people’s questions cannot be silenced,” he said.
According to police, Doley was arrested in connection with a case registered at Bokakhat Police Station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 61(2), 62, 74, 121(1), 121(2), 132, 190, 191(2), 191(3), 221, 324(2), 326(G), 329(3) and 351(3). He is currently being held at Dispur Police Station, and a team from Bokakhat Police is expected to take him into custody and escort him to Bokakhat.
As police pushed him into a vehicle, Doley said he had been detained without being informed of the reasons.
“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,” he told reporters.
His friends and supporters alleged that they were not allowed to meet Doley at Dispur Police Station. Police also seized his mobile phone.
Doley has been spearheading protests against the alleged transfer of land to the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) for a proposed five-star hotel project near the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The GKLHRPC has consistently argued that the project threatens the livelihoods of indigenous communities as well as the fragile ecology of Kaziranga, saying the land serves as a grazing area and flood refuge for wildlife.
The arrest comes amid an ongoing legal challenge to the project. In June, the Gauhati High Court issued notices to the ATDC while hearing a petition filed by 20 Adivasi farming families challenging the proposed hotel project.
The petitioners have alleged that land cultivated by them for generations has been earmarked for the project without due process. They claim to possess decades-old land records and revenue receipts and have accused the authorities of fencing the land and initiating possession without their consent.
They have also alleged that mandatory environmental and social impact assessments were not carried out.
Doley’s arrest has sparked outrage among the affected farmers in Kaziranga.