https://aipnee.org/statements/india-immediately-release-indigenous-right...
Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE) condemns, in the strongest terms, the unlawful and unjust arrest of Indigenous rights defender Pranab Doley on 12 July 2026 in the northeastern state of Assam in India. We call on the concerned state and central authorities of India to immediately release him and drop all fabricated charges against him.
According to publicly available reports, Assam Police arrested Pranab Doley, the Convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee (GKLHRPC), without any warrant. He has been at the forefront of opposition to the proposed five-star hotel of Hyatt Hotels, among other luxury hotels and hospitality projects near Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, for their adverse human rights and environmental impacts. The proposed Hyatt hotel project has, in particular, resulted in land dispossession, forced evictions and physical violence and intimidation against Indigenous Adivasi families, whose lands have been earmarked for hotel construction without meaningful consultations let alone their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). The families have challenged the concerned government authorities against the evictions at Gauhati High Court. The project has also raised concerns about impacts on wildlife and their corridor in the Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Further, Pranab Doley has worked alongside Indigenous and other communities to advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, environmental conservation and sustainable development through various other organizations, including Community Network Against Protected Areas, and the People Ecology Network. His work reflects legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and meaningful participation in decision making. AIPNEE expresses deep concerns that the arrest of such a prominent Indigenous rights defender may have a chilling effect on communities and individuals seeking to peacefully defend their rights.
AIPNEE thus reiterates its call to the authorities in India to:
- Release Pranab Doley without any further delay and conditions and withdraw all fabricated charges against him.
- Ensure that Pranab Doley’s legal rights and due process guarantees are fully respected and any legal proceedings against him are conducted fairly, transparently, and in accordance with India’s constitutional and international human rights obligations.
- Ascertain that any development around Kaziranga National Park respects the rights of the affected Adivasi families and other Indigenous communities as per the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous and environmental defenders in India and across Asia, like Pranab Doley, continue to face criminalization and other reprisals, including killings, for their legitimate rights activism. We thus urge the UN human rights mechanisms, international community, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, and supporting civil society and environmental groups to closely monitor developments in this case and to support in calling for protection of Pranab Doley and other Indigenous rights defenders throughout Asia.
