Congress says Assam BJP misused NSA to detain activist

The Indian National Congress party has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Assam of misusing stringent national security laws to detain an activist, escalating a political clash over environmental protests and civil liberties. The controversy centers on indigenous rights activist Pranab Doley, who was detained under the National Security Act on July 30, just one day after a district court had granted him bail in a related criminal case.

According to Congress officials, Doley was arrested on July 13 for supporting villagers protesting a proposed five-star resort near Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The project is reportedly backed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Indigenous residents of Golaghat district have been opposing the project since 2022, petitioning the Gauhati High Court over allegations of forcible land acquisition.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, who made the allegations public on Sunday, August 2, described the NSA detention as a blatant misuse of preventive detention laws and an overreach by the state. He cited the bail order from the Sessions Court on July 29, which observed that where ecological...