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

The Congress on Sunday (August 2, 2026) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Assam of misusing the National Security Act (NSA) to detain land rights activist Pranab Doley after he was granted bail, alleging that the move was an attempt to suppress democratic dissent.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the Assam government invoked the NSA against Mr. Doley on July 30, a day after a district court granted him bail. He described the detention as a “blatant misuse” of preventive detention laws and an overreach by the State.

The Congress communications chief said Mr. Doley had been arrested for supporting villagers protesting against a proposed five-star resort near Kaziranga National Park, a project backed by the Assam Chief Minister.

He alleged that indigenous residents of Golaghat had been opposing the project since 2022, claiming that their land had been forcibly acquired.

Mr. Ramesh cited the Sessions Court’s bail order, which had observed that “where ecological preservation intersects with indigenous survival, criminal law cannot be used to suppress legitimate local anxieties”.

“It is clear that the Assam government invoked the NSA to do exactly that. Doley’s NSA detention order relies on vague and speculative allegations, including that Doley had engaged in “suspicious foreign transactions from doubtful sources”, which is the Modi government’s familiar script,” Mr. Ramesh alleged.

Alleging a broader pattern, Mr. Ramesh claimed BJP governments had increasingly used extraordinary laws such as the NSA to stifle dissent and cited instances of its invocation against labour activists in Uttar Pradesh.

“The Assam government continues to show utter disregard for the rule of law and for democratic dissent,” he alleged, adding that the Supreme Court and several High Courts have repeatedly cautioned that preventive detention laws must not be used as a device to defeat or circumvent judicial orders granting bail or to prolong a person’s incarceration.

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi also criticised Mr. Doley’s detention, while referring to the Chief Minister’s alleged threat to use the NSA against artists over a mural of Zubeen Garg, the late singer-composer, in Guwahati.