Weaponising extraordinary laws to silence dissent: Congress on rights activist held under NSA in Assam
The Congress on Sunday (August 2, 2026) slammed the Assam government over indigenous rights activist Pranab Doley being detained under the Security Act, alleging that
The Congress on Sunday (August 2, 2026) slammed the Assam government over indigenous rights activist Pranab Doley being detained under the Security Act, alleging that the use of the NSA against him was part of a growing pattern of BJP governments "weaponising" extraordinary laws to silence dissent. The Opposition party also said this is a "blatant misuse" of preventive detention laws and "overreach" by the State. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that on July 30, the Assam Government invoked the Security Act (NSA) against land rights activist Doley, just a day after the district court granted him bail. "This is a blatant misuse of preventive detention laws and overreach by the state," Ramesh said on X. Doley has been arrested for supporting villagers who protested against a proposed five-star resort near the Kaziranga Park that the Assam Chief Minister had backed, he said. Since 2022, indigenous residents of Golaghat have protested and even petitioned the Gauhati High Court against the project, arguing the land was forcibly acquired from them, Mr. Ramesh said.
On 30 July, the Assam Government invoked the Security Act (NSA) against land rights activist Pranab Doley, just a day after the District Court granted him bail. This is a blatant misuse of preventive detention laws and overreach by the state. Doley has been arrested for… — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 2, 2026 While granting him bail on July 29, the sessions court had observed that "where ecological preservation intersects with indigenous survival, criminal law cannot be used to suppress legitimate local anxieties", Mr. Ramesh said. It is clear that the Assam government invoked the NSA to do exactly that, he alleged. “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,” the Congress leader said. "The use of the NSA against Doley is part of a growing pattern of BJP governments weaponising extraordinary laws to silence dissent," Mr. Ramesh said. Similar attempts have been witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, where the NSA was invoked against labour activists protesting against exploitative working conditions in Noida, he said.
BJP governments across the country cannot suppress legitimate grievances of working-class, indigenous, and marginalised communities through arrests and draconian laws, he said. "The Assam Government continues to show utter disregard for the rule of law and for democratic dissent. 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 merely to prolong a person's incarceration," the Congress leader said. His remarks come after Mr. Doley was detained under the stringent NSA, a day after securing bail in a case related to protests against a proposed five-star hotel near Kaziranga Park in Assam. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, criticising the move on Saturday, maintained that it shows the state government does not allow dissent, as he also mentioned Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma "threatening" to use NSA against artists over a mural of singer Zubeen Garg in Guwahati. Doley, who was arrested in Guwahati on July 13 and lodged in Golaghat district jail, was granted bail by a court on Wednesday in connection with the June protest.
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