Environmental activist Pranab Doley, a prominent voice against a proposed five star hotel project near Kaziranga National Park, was arrested from his rented accommodation in Guwahati on Sunday.
Police reportedly arrested Doley in connection with a case registered at Bokakhat police station in Golaghat district last month. Details of the allegations against him were not immediately disclosed.
As he was taken away, Doley alleged that police had not shown him an arrest warrant and questioned whether activists could work peacefully.
The Assam Nagarik Sanmilan condemned the arrest and alleged that Doley was being targeted for opposing a development project and defending land rights. The organisation also cited the recent arrest of activist Aditya Rabha, who had been involved in protests against a proposed satellite township near Palashbari.
Police had not publicly detailed the grounds for Doley’s arrest at the time of the report.
The arrest has intensified concerns among civil society groups over the treatment of activists opposing major development projects in Assam. The Assam Nagarik Sanmilan alleged that such actions could suppress democratic dissent and called for the protection of freedom of expression and citizens’ rights.
Doley has been at the forefront of opposition to the proposed luxury hotel project at Ingle Pathar village near Kaziranga, an ecologically sensitive region surrounding one of India’s most prominent national parks.
