---
title: "Congress Denounces Assam's Use of National Security Act Against Land Rights Activist"
url: https://projectchintan.com/article/congress-denounces-assam-s-use-of-national-security-act-against-land-rights-acti-boqca
publisher: Project Chintan
author: Project Chintan Newsroom
section: India
published: 2026-08-02T07:25:21.000Z
modified: 2026-08-02T10:01:03.701Z
language: en-IN
---

# Congress Denounces Assam's Use of National Security Act Against Land Rights Activist

The Congress party has accused the Assam government of utilizing the National Security Act to bypass judicial bail orders and suppress indigenous dissent. Land activist Pranab Doley faces extended detention following his protests against a luxury resort project near Kaziranga National Park.

## Key takeaways

- Assam invoked the National Security Act against Pranab Doley just one day after a court granted him bail for protest-related charges.
- The detention stems from Doley's leadership in opposing a five-star hotel project near the ecological buffer of Kaziranga National Park.
- Jairam Ramesh alleges the state is using vague claims of suspicious foreign funding to justify silencing indigenous rights movements.
- The sessions court previously observed that criminal law cannot be used to suppress legitimate local anxieties regarding ecological preservation.

## Preventive Detention Invoked After Judicial Release

In a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the national opposition, the Assam government invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against indigenous rights activist Pranab Doley on July 30, 2026. This administrative order arrived only 24 hours after a district court had granted Doley bail. The activist was initially arrested on July 13 in Guwahati and held at Golaghat district jail for his involvement in June protests regarding a high-profile development project.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communications, characterized the state's action as a blatant circumvention of the judiciary. He noted that the sessions court, while granting bail on July 29, explicitly stated that criminal law should not be employed to stifle local anxieties where ecological concerns and indigenous survival meet. Despite this, the state's Political (A) Department issued the NSA order under Section 3(2), citing Doley’s activities as prejudicial to state security and public order.

## The Kaziranga Resort Controversy

The friction stems from a proposed five-star resort situated near the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kaziranga National Park. Residents of Golaghat have campaigned against the project since 2022, alleging forced land acquisition and ecological threats. Doley, a peasant rights leader who previously contested the Bokakhat assembly seat, has been a primary figure in these demonstrations. While Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has backed the luxury development, local communities have petitioned the Gauhati High Court to halt the construction.

### Allegations of Systematic Legal Weaponization

The Congress party argues that Doley’s detention follows a broader strategy of using extraordinary statutes to neutralize political opposition. Ramesh highlighted that the NSA order against Doley utilized speculative claims of suspicious foreign transactions, a narrative he claims is frequently deployed by the central administration. The opposition cited similar instances in Uttar Pradesh involving labor activists in Noida as evidence of a multi-state pattern.
- State officials claim Doley presents a real and imminent threat of continued disruptive activity.
- Assam Congress President Gaurav Gogoi noted recent threats to use the NSA against artists in Guwahati as further evidence of rising intolerance.
- The Supreme Court has previously warned that preventive detention must not serve as a tool to bypass court-ordered bail.

By keeping Doley in custody at the Golaghat District Jail through executive order, the Assam government ensures his continued incarceration despite the lack of a current criminal conviction for the underlying protest charges.

Source: The Hindu — National

---
Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/congress-denounces-assam-s-use-of-national-security-act-against-land-rights-acti-boqca
Reported from: The Hindu — National