Guwahati: Assam indigenous and land rights activist Pranab Doley was remanded to seven days’ police custody by the Bokakhat District Court on Monday, a day after his arrest from a rented accommodation in Guwahati’s Sundarpur area intensified protests and drew widespread condemnation from opposition parties, farmers’ organisations and civil society groups.

Doley, convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee (GKLHRPC), was produced before the court amid heavy police presence after being arrested in connection with a case registered at Bokakhat Police Station under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police alleged in a first information report that Doley “unlawfully trespassed into the site of the proposed Tea Tribes Museum and thereafter trespassed into the nearby ATDC Hyatt project at Ingle Pathar with deadly weapons.”

The FIR further alleges that the group he was part of obstructed construction work, threatened workers, attempted to damage property and assaulted police personnel during an operation to disperse protesters.

Doley has been booked under 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) of the BNS.

Questioning the circumstances of his arrest, Doley told reporters as police pushed him into a vehicle.

“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 said.

His friends and supporters alleged that they were not allowed to meet him while he was held at Dispur Police Station.

As Doley was taken to the Bokakhat court on Monday, affected farmers from Ingle Pathar gathered outside and staged a protest, raising slogans demanding his immediate and unconditional release.

The land dispute behind the arrest

Doley has emerged as one of the most prominent faces of the campaign against the proposed construction of luxury hotels near Kaziranga National Park.

As convenor of the GKLHRPC, he has been spearheading protests against the alleged transfer of land at Hatikhuli’s Ingle Pathar to the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) for a proposed five-star hotel project.

The committee has consistently argued that the project threatens the livelihoods of indigenous communities as well as the fragile ecology surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage Site, saying the land serves as a grazing area and flood refuge for wildlife.

The dispute has also reached the Gauhati High Court. In June, the court issued notices to the ATDC while hearing a petition filed by 20 Adivasi farming families challenging the proposed project.

The petitioners have alleged that land cultivated by them for generations was 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.

Protests in the Assembly

The arrest reverberated inside the Assam Legislative Assembly on Monday, where Raijor Dal MLAs Akhil Gogoi and Mehboob Mukhtar staged a walkout during Question Hour demanding the release of Doley and fellow activist Aditya Rabha.

The two legislators, dressed in black, displayed placards reading “Free Aditya Rabha, Pranab Doley” in Assamese before walking out after Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass asked them to return to their seats.

Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Akhil Gogoi alleged that Doley and Rabha were arrested because they opposed the government’s alleged move to hand over land to large corporate groups.

He claimed the arrests were intended to suppress voices protesting land policies affecting indigenous communities and alleged that the government was targeting Tribal Belts and Blocks, which he described as safeguards for tribal land.

“Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has planned to give Assam’s land to Ramdev, Adani, Ambani and Tata,” Gogoi said.

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) also criticised the arrest.

State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the BJP-led government was using police action to suppress democratic dissent.

“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 added.

Support gathers

The arrest also prompted strong responses from organisations associated with land rights, environmental protection and farmers’ movements.

The Bhumi Adhikar Joutha Sangram Samiti (Joint Action Committee for Land Rights) alleged that Doley was arrested because of his role in leading campaigns to protect the land rights of local communities and claimed the action reflected a broader pattern of targeting leaders associated with Assam’s land rights movement.

The committee demanded Doley’s immediate release and called on the government to end what it described as a crackdown on democratic protests and public rights movements.

The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Assam State Council, described Doley’s arrest as an attack on democratic rights and demanded his immediate and unconditional release.

The organisation reiterated its opposition to the proposed transfer of land at Hatikhuli’s Ingle Pathar for the hotel project and called for stronger legal protection of ecologically sensitive areas surrounding Kaziranga.

The Sustha Samaj Bikash Chakra (SSBC) also condemned the arrests of Doley and Aditya Rabha, alleging that both activists were being targeted because of their involvement in land rights movements. The organisation demanded their immediate release and urged the government to ensure due process while allowing legal proceedings relating to the Kaziranga land dispute to continue without interference.

The Asom Nagarik Sanmilan also criticised the arrests of Doley and Rabha, alleging that both activists had been targeted for raising concerns over land rights and opposing government policies affecting indigenous communities.

Who is Pranab Doley?

A member of Assam’s indigenous Mising community, Doley is known for his work on indigenous rights, environmental protection and community welfare.

A graduate in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), he has founded or co-founded several organisations, including the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Advocacy (CNAPA), the All Kaziranga Affected Communities’ Rights Committee, the People Ecology Network and the Jyoti Bishnu Cultural and Research Centre.

Over the years, he has been associated with campaigns focusing on indigenous rights, environmental conservation, sustainable development and social justice across Assam and the wider Northeast. In November 2025, he represented India at the 14th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva.

Doley’s arrest comes just days after the detention of activist Aditya Rabha, who has been leading protests against the proposed Satellite Township project near Guwahati.