Rights group condemns NSA detention of Assam indigenous activist Doley

By A Representative 

The human rights network Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has strongly condemned the Assam government's decision to invoke the National Security Act (NSA) against Indigenous land rights activist Pranab Doley, calling it a "dangerous escalation" in the suppression of democratic dissent.

In a press statement, CASR said the use of the preventive detention law against Doley, who has been campaigning for the protection of Indigenous land, forests and livelihoods, represents an abuse of extraordinary legal powers. The organisation argued that instead of addressing the concerns of Indigenous communities, the state has chosen to silence a democratic activist through arbitrary detention.

Doley, convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee (GKLHRPC), was arrested by Assam Police on July 12 in connection with protests against a proposed luxury hotel project near Kaziranga National Park. Police had booked him under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alleging offences including criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, rioting, trespass and intimidation. Doley and his supporters have maintained that the protests were aimed at protecting Indigenous land rights and preventing displacement. 

According to reports, a local court granted Doley bail on July 29. However, before his release, the Assam government invoked the National Security Act on July 30, allowing his preventive detention without immediate trial. The move has drawn criticism from opposition leaders, civil society groups and human rights organisations. 

CASR said the NSA, which permits prolonged detention without trial, has repeatedly been criticised for undermining due process, personal liberty and the principles of natural justice. It alleged that the law is increasingly being used to curb peaceful democratic movements rather than address genuine threats to national security.

"The targeting of Pranab Doley cannot be viewed in isolation," the organisation said, adding that activists, journalists, students, trade unionists and human rights defenders across India are increasingly facing prosecution under laws such as the NSA and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for organising protests and defending the rights of marginalised communities.

The organisation further alleged that Doley's detention forms part of a broader nationwide pattern of repression against Indigenous, Adivasi and people's movements resisting land acquisition, mining projects and corporate-led development that threatens local communities.

Several rights organisations, including United Nations human rights experts, have previously expressed concern over the arrest of Doley and other Indigenous activists linked to the Kaziranga protests, warning that criminalising peaceful advocacy could have a chilling effect on civic space and the defence of Indigenous rights. 

CASR demanded the immediate withdrawal of the NSA order, Doley's unconditional release, and an end to what it described as the misuse of extraordinary security laws against democratic movements and human rights defenders.