The international organisation urged the government to withdraw charges against the activist, alleging his arrest is linked to protests against the proposed Hyatt hotel project near Kaziranga National Park
Guwahati: The Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Assam-based activist Pranab Doley, alleging that his arrest is part of a broader crackdown on Indigenous land rights defenders opposing a proposed luxury hotel project near Kaziranga National Park.
In an urgent appeal, the international organisation described Doley as an Indigenous human rights defender who has been leading protests against the proposed Hyatt hotel project at Inglay (Inle) Pathar on the fringes of Kaziranga.
IPRI alleged that nearly 100 police personnel surrounded the house where Doley was staying in Guwahati before arresting him on July 12 without producing an arrest warrant. It further claimed that his mobile phone was seized immediately and that he was initially denied access to supporters.
The organisation said Doley is facing 13 criminal charges, including several non-bailable offences, and alleged that police also raided his ancestral home while searching for Rajiv Pegu, another member of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee.
Expressing concern over the case, IPRI urged the Government of India to release Doley, ensure his access to legal counsel, family members and medical care, withdraw charges that it said criminalise the legitimate exercise of fundamental rights, and halt any land acquisition process until the free, prior and informed consent of affected Indigenous communities is obtained.
According to Assam Police, Doley was arrested in connection with Bokakhat Police Station Case No. 108/2026, registered over an incident on June 28 at the proposed ATDC Hyatt project site in Kohora. Police alleged that around 50 people, including Doley and members of several organisations, entered the project site after a public meeting, removed survey materials, threatened construction workers, staged a sit-in protest despite police directions, and that a woman police officer sustained grievous injuries during the incident.
Police have booked him under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including several non-bailable sections, and described him as one of the alleged masterminds behind the unlawful assembly.
The arrest has also drawn criticism from the Northeast Human Rights Organisation (NEHRO), which termed the action an attempt to intimidate activists working on Indigenous land rights. NEHRO alleged that Doley had previously faced repeated police action for his activism and called on the Assam government to engage in dialogue with affected communities instead of resorting to arrests.
A member of Assam’s Indigenous Mising community, Doley has long campaigned on issues relating to land rights, environmental conservation and Indigenous communities. An MSW graduate from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), he has founded and 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.
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