Assam land rights activist Pranab Doley arrested amid Kaziranga hotel project row
Doley, known for opposing corporate land grabs near Kaziranga, faces multiple charges; arrest sparks outrage amid threat to indigenous livelihoods and wildlife
A prominent indigenous land rights activist, environmental defender, and socio-political leader from Assam, Pranab Doley, was arrested by the Assam Police from Guwahati’s Sundarpur area on Sunday (July 12) under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
A member of the indigenous Mising community, Doley (40) is widely known for leading grassroots resistance movements against corporate land acquisition, militarised conservation practices, and the displacement of local farming families.
What triggered arrest?
His arrest reportedly stems from his leading role as the convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee (GKLHRPC).
He has been spearheading local opposition against the Assam government’s allocation of community grazing and agricultural lands to the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) for proposed mega-luxury hotel projects near the eco-sensitive Kaziranga National Park.
The dispute centres around agricultural and community grazing lands at Ingle Pathar and Hatikhuli on the fringes of Kaziranga. Activists and local farming families reportedly state that lands cultivated for generations were reclassified and allotted for proposed five-star hospitality developments without due process or consulting the local occupants.
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They argue that the hospitality project threatens both indigenous livelihoods and vital wildlife corridors by destroying vital flood refuges and grazing corridors used by wild animals during the seasonal Brahmaputra floods.
The arrest comes amid an active legal battle. In June, the Gauhati High Court issued notices to the ATDC following a petition filed by 20 Adivasi farming families challenging the land possession, fencing, and the lack of mandatory environmental and social impact assessments. It is not clear whether the ATDC has replied.
‘Like hooligans kidnap people’
Doley was arrested on Sunday morning from a friend’s house in Sundarpur. Dispur police personnel surrounded the house and took him into custody. He was initially brought to the Dispur Police Station for interrogation, and his mobile phone was allegedly seized.
Since the primary case against him was registered at Bokakhat Police Station on June 29, a police team from the Golaghat district travelled to Guwahati to formally assume custody and transport him back to Bokakhat.
While being escorted into a police van, Doley stated to reporters that he was picked up without being shown an official arrest warrant. He was quoted saying, “Without any warrant they are taking me away, like hooligans kidnap people... If I can’t voice out my opinion for other people, what kind of democracy is this?”
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He has reportedly been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges filed against him include Criminal Conspiracy (Section 61(2), Unlawful Assembly & Rioting (Sections 190, 191(2), 191(3)), Causing hurt to deter public servants from discharging their duties (Section 132), and Sections 329(3), 324(2), 221, 121, 351(3), 74, 326(g), and 62.
Opposition slams government
Doley has founded and co-founded several impactful groups, including the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Advocacy (CNAPA), the All Kaziranga Affected Communities’ Rights Committee, and the People Ecology Network.
In November 2023, he represented India’s marginalized communities by addressing the 14th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights at Geneva, Switzerland.
Doley contested the Bokakhat constituency during both the 2021 and 2026 Assam Legislative Assembly elections, finishing as a strong runner-up.
Doley’s arrest has triggered sharp condemnation from Opposition parties, including the Congress, which have accused the ruling government of autocracy. Supporters and local farmers have expressed outrage, claiming they were barred from meeting Doley at the police station.