In Assam, India, activist Pranab Doley remains in jail despite a court granting bail, after protesting a luxury hotel near Kaziranga National Park. The Assam government invoked the National Security Act to keep him detained, drawing criticism from activists.
Doley, 40, was arrested in June after joining a protest against the five-star hotel proposed near the UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to elephants, tigers, and one-horned rhinos. A court granted bail to him and four others on 29 July, but the government used the National Security Act, which allows detention without trial, to block his release.
The government's detention order cites 13 criminal cases against Doley since 2017, alleging unlawful assembly, intimidation, and violence, as well as suspicious foreign transactions. Critics accuse the government of using the draconian law to suppress protest against the hotel project.
His lawyer, Mrityunjoy Pegu, told the BBC that most old cases were resolved, with only two pending before the latest arrest. "He is an activist who fights for people's rights," Pegu said. "That is why the police had registered some cases against him."
The case has sparked debate over land, conservation, and development around Kaziranga. Officials say the hotel will bring investment and jobs, but dozens of families claim they are being displaced from ancestral land. The district administration says the land is government-owned, but protesters dispute this, citing decades of land revenue payments.
Geeta Gwala, whose family cultivated 2.81 acres near the hotel site, said they have receipts from 1956. A court-ordered boundary demarcation was scheduled for 24 June, but its status is unclear.
On 28 June, Doley joined a protest near the hotel site. Police accused him of inciting violence, but his organization denied this, and a judge later found video footage did not support several prosecution claims. The judge noted that Doley was seen speaking with officials, seeking dialogue.
"True public order is achieved not by silencing the affected, but by listening to them," the bail order said. Despite this, Doley remains in jail. His lawyer said, "Now he is the one waiting for justice."