New Delhi, 02 August (H.S.): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday condemned the Assam government's decision to invoke the National Security Act (NSA) against land rights activist Pranab Doley, alleging that it amounted to a blatant misuse of preventive detention laws and an attempt to override a judicial order.

In a post on the social media platform X, Ramesh said that a Sessions Court had granted bail to Doley on July 29. He noted that the court had observed that where ecological conservation and indigenous survival are at stake, criminal law cannot be used to suppress legitimate local concerns.

Despite the court's order, the Assam government invoked the National Security Act on July 30 and placed Doley under preventive detention, he said.

Ramesh alleged that Doley was targeted because he had supported local villagers opposing a proposed five-star resort project near Kaziranga National Park. According to him, residents have been protesting against the project since 2022 and have also filed a petition before the Gauhati High Court challenging the development.

He further claimed that the detention order under the NSA contained vague allegations, including references to suspicious foreign transactions, which he described as a familiar approach adopted by the Central government in such cases.

The Congress leader asserted that BJP governments cannot suppress the legitimate grievances of workers, tribal communities, and other marginalised groups through arrests and the use of stringent laws. He described the action against Doley as an attempt to silence dissent rather than address the concerns raised by affected local communities.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar