Pankaj Nath, Assam: The arrest of Assamese social activist and Khilanjia leader Pranab Doloi while opposing the proposed five-star hotel project in the Ingle Field area near the Kaziranga National Park has sparked a sharp reaction at the international level. An international organisation called Indigenous Peoples Rights International has issued an emergency appeal demanding their immediate and unconditional release. Indigenous Peoples Rights International has alleged that the arrest of Pranab Doloi has been made as part of a wider process to criminalise Khilanjia land guards who are protesting against the proposed Hyatt Hotel project in Ingle field .
Referring to Doloi as a representative of the Khilangia Miching community in the Kaziranga region and a human rights defender, the organisation said the cases against him were an attempt to suppress the legitimate demand for fundamental rights. According to reports, on July 12, Dispur police detained Pranab Doloi from his residence in Guwahati and took him to Dispur police station for questioning and later handed him over to Bokokhat police station in Golaghat district, where the original case is registered. It is alleged that around a hundred policemen surrounded his house and arrested him without showing an arrest warrant, his mobile phone was immediately confiscated and he was also prevented from contacting his supporters at an early stage. A total of 13 criminal cases, including at least three non-bailable offences, have been registered against him under various sections of the Indian Judicial Code. Indigenous Peoples Rights International has demanded the Indian government to immediately release Pranab Doloi, give him full access to legal advisers, family members and medical services and withdraw the charges against him.
At the same time, the organisation has appealed to stop the process of land acquisition without the prior consent of the affected local Khilanjia communities and reconsider the environmental and social impact of the proposed hotel project around Kaziranga. For a long time, Doloi has been vocal against the environmental impact of the proposed five-star hotel project in the Ingle Plateau region near the Kaziranga National Park and its potential impact on the rights of local communities. He has been associated as founder or co-founder of several institutions such as the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Advocacy, Sadau Kaziranga prabhabit samudai adhikar Committee, People’s Ecology Network and Jyoti Vishnu Centre for Cultural and Research . The whole matter has now sparked a fierce debate across Assam and all eyes are on the coming legal process.
