Congress slams Assam government’s use of NSA against land rights activist

On August 2, 2026, the Congress party alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Assam had unlawfully utilized the National Security Act (NSA) to detain land rights activist Pranab Doley. This followed his recent release on bail granted by a district court. The Congress cited the move as a blatant violation of preventive detention laws and as a suppression of democratic dissent.

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary for communications, described the detention as an egregious misuse of power and an overreach by the State. Doley was arrested for backing villagers who were protesting against a proposed five-star resort near Kaziranga National Park, a project backed by the Assam Chief Minister. The Congress party alleged that local residents in Golaghat had been opposing the project since 2022, asserting that their land had been taken forcibly.

Ramesh pointed to the Sessions Court's bail order, which stated that "where ecological preservation intersects with indigenous survival, criminal law cannot be used to suppress legitimate local anxieties." He accused the Assam government of invoking the NSA due to vague and speculative allegations, including claims that Doley had been involved in "suspicious foreign transactions from doubtful sources."

The Congress claimed that BJP governments had increasingly turned to extraordinary laws like the NSA to curb dissent, citing previous instances of its use against labor activists in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress party's criticism extended to the broader pattern of the BJP government's alleged disregard for the rule of law and democratic dissent.

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi also expressed concern over Doley's detention, referencing the Chief Minister's alleged threat to employ the NSA against artists over a mural of Zubeen Garg, a late singer-composer.