Panjim, Goa: “What kind of democracy is this if we can’t even speak for our people?” Indigenous rights activist Pranab Doley asked as police forcibly shoved him into a car on July 12, turning his arrest into a stark question on the space for dissent in India.“They have not shown us any papers. They are abducting us like goons, why have we been taken? This autocracy of Himanta Biswa Sarma’s government cannot continue,” he said.On October 14 the Gauhati high court reserved its judgment on Doley’s challenge to his detention under the National Security Act (NSA). He has spent 111 days in custody awaiting a decision that could determine his freedom.From a bail order to preventive detentionDoley, convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee (GKLHRPC), was arrested on July 12 in connection with protests against a proposed five-star luxury hotel near the Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Assam.For the past four years, indigenous communities have been protesting against the project by Hyatt Hotels, citing threats to their land rights and livelihoods.On July 29, Doley was granted bail by the Golaghat sessions court, which observed that the evidence presented by the police did not substantiate several of the allegations against him. He was expected to walk out of jail the next day. However, the bail order did not lead to his release.The Assam government subsequently invoked the NSA against him, allowing his detention to continue. The 1980 Act permits the government to detain a person without trial or formal charges for up to a year.On October 28, The Wire sent questions to the Director General of Assam Police seeking clarification on the grounds for invoking the NSA against Doley. The questions included whether any fresh material had informed the decision in the 24 hours following the grant of bail and what accountability measures would apply if the detention were found unlawful.A follow-up was sent on October 29, and calls were also made. There has been no response from the police so far. This story will be updated if a response is received.National security or dissent suppression?Doley’s lawyer, Dipesh Agarwala told The Wire that the NSA detention order invokes 13 criminal cases registered against him since 2017, 11 of which he has either been acquitted or discharged in.Crucially, the recent case on the basis of which he was arrested on July 12, had already been considered by the sessions court before it granted Doley bail on July 29 – raising serious questions about the legality of his continued detention under the draconian NSA.Also read: ‘If You Want to Build a Five-Star Hotel, Build It on Your Own Land’: Residents Oppose Kaziranga Hotel ProjectDoley’s case is not the first instance of the NSA being invoked against a protester. In September 2025, the law was used to detain climate activist Sonam Wangchuk following protests in Ladakh. The centre revoked his detention in March 2026, after he had spent 170 days in custody.More than a century after the Rowlatt Act of 1919 triggered a nationwide movement against detention without trial, preventive detention remains part of India’s legal framework. Doley’s case raises a troubling question: when does the invocation of national security become a means of keeping dissenting voices behind bars?Luxury resorts planned, indigenous voices face arrestsIn September 2023, the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC), a state government body, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jenipro hotels (now Juniper hotels), a partnership between the Saraf Group and the Hyatt brand. The MoU proposed an investment of Rs 100 crore to develop a five-star luxury resort on the fringes of Kaziranga National Park.Nearly a year later, in August 2024, the ATDC signed another MoU in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran. The agreement, involving Amalgamated Plantations Private Limited (APPL) and Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), proposed an investment of Rs 120 crore to establish a Taj Resort and Spa at Kaziranga. It also outlined plans for APPL and IHCL to develop hotel and hospitality infrastructure in the area.In March 2025, Juniper Hotels acquired a 100% stake in Jenipro Hotels Private Limited. According to a report, Juniper Hotels stated, “This acquisition underscores our commitment to expanding our portfolio in key tourism destinations across India. Developing a resort of international standards in Kaziranga not only enhances our presence but also contributes to sustainable tourism growth in Assam.”Doley was arrested on July 12, along with four others – Bhaskar Saikia, Rajeev Pegu, Bijit Kutum and Amit Nag – in connection with a June 28 gathering opposing these proposed hotel constructions.As per to a report by The Reporters’ Collective, a December 2024 response to a Right to Information (RTI) request and other documents confirmed that the Golaghat district administration, acting on the recommendation of the district’s Land Advisory Committee, had allotted 30 bighas (a local unit of measurement) of land to ATDC. The corporation, in turn, handed the land over to the Saraf Group.Thirty bighas of land is approximately 10 acres, or the equivalent of approximately eight football fields.Meanwhile, the Saraf group has also said it received 10 acres of land from ATDC to build a hotel. Sarma said the group was to build a five-star hotel near the national park.In a post on X on September 23, 2023, Sarma claimed that the hotel is built under the Hyatt brand.Kaziranga will soon have a 5 star Hyatt Hotel resort to attract tourists from across the world.📍Investment MoU Ceremony, Guwahati https://t.co/C6d8wGH6oX— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 23, 2023A recurring pattern of land transfers in Assam and the indigenous communities resisting itThe proposed Kaziranga project is not the first instance of land being handed over to private companies in Assam despite local opposition.In 2025, a video clip from a Gauhati high court hearing raged across social media. It showed Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi, visibly shocked, reacting to the allotment of 3,000 bighas of land in Assam’s Dima Hasao district to a private cement company, Mahabal Cement.Justice Medhi, shocked with the notion, said, “3,000 bighas! The entire district? What is going on? A private company being given 3,000 bighas? … Is this some kind of joke or what? Public interest, not private interest, is what matters.”Also read: To the PM, From Kaziranga: An Open Letter Decrying Displacement, Human Rights ViolationsThe company received the disputed land allotment in Umrangso, an environmental hotspot in Dima Hasao district. According to a report by Newslaundry, since December 2024, 22 residents of Nobdi Longku Kro and Chotolarpheng villages have been challenging the allotment in court. They have alleged that the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council (DAHC) had granted the land without following due process.As hotel construction advances, Doley’s detention draws international criticismResponding to questions from the international non-profit Business and Human Rights Resource Centre about Doley’s arrest, Hyatt Hotels issued a statement on July 21, 2026, saying: “While certain Hyatt subsidiaries have existing business relationships with Juniper Hotels, including a non-controlling ownership interest, Hyatt has not entered into any agreement to brand or operate the proposed hotel project at Inglay Pathar/Hathikuli near Kaziranga National Park.”The company added, “It is among our highest priorities to respect and honour fundamental human rights, including the rights of indigenous peoples – and Hyatt’s public Human Rights Statement affirms our commitment. We also recognise and support the importance of freedom of expression, and we are not in a position to provide commentary on Mr. Doley’s situation.”Locals who spoke to The Wire said construction of the proposed hotel was underway. “On the day he was arrested, construction was progressing rapidly. The boundary walls are now almost complete,” said a local, who wished to remain anonymous.In a video posted on Instagram, Doley’s father said his son’s arrest under the NSA signified the government’s weakness.“He [Doley] has not committed any robbery, he has not stolen anything and he is not a terrorist. It is not Pranab’s responsibility alone, for the future of our country, the younger generation must step forward,” he said.More than 60 rights groups, people’s movements, organisations, democratic rights, trade unions and concerned citizens have condemned the invocation of the NSA against Doley. In Kenya, 26 indigenous communities came together to demand Doley’s release. Students from multiple countries at the International Institute of Social Science, Netherlands, have also condemned the arrest and demanded his release.Saurav Patgiri, who has known Doley for more than a decade, told The Wire, “Despite being jailed under the NSA for months, whenever he speaks to us, Pranab tells us to fight for justice for the people.”