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Hyderabad: A group of UN human rights experts on Friday, July 17, called for the release of five Indigenous rights defenders detained in Assam, saying their arrest in connection with protests against a luxury hotel project near Kaziranga National Park could have a chilling effect on civic space in India.

The experts named the five as Pranab Doley, Rajib Pegu, Brijit Kutum, Amit Nag and Bhaskar Saikia, all arrested by Assam Police in connection with protests on June 29 against a planned tourism project at Inglay Pathar, on the fringes of the national park.

“We are deeply concerned by reports that Indigenous human rights defenders have been deprived of their liberty in connection with their peaceful advocacy on behalf of Indigenous communities’ lands and rights,” the experts said in a statement, adding that such arrests and prosecutions can discourage others from speaking out against alleged abuses.

The project, which includes a luxury hotel and a Tea Tribes Museum, stems from an agreement between the Assam government and Juniper Hotels, associated with the Hyatt group. The Assam government has defended the project, saying the land in question is state-owned and accusing “vested interests” of fuelling the opposition.

Who are the five detained

Doley, 40, a member of the Mising community, is the convenor of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Protection Committee and had contested the Bokakhat seat as an independent candidate in this year’s Assam Assembly election. He was taken from a residence in Guwahati on July 12 by police who reportedly did not produce a warrant.

Rajib Pegu and Bhaskar Saikia, both associated with local land rights groups, had their bail pleas rejected by a court in Golaghat on July 13 and were remanded to judicial custody, while Amit Nag, president of the Jai Bharat Party’s Golaghat unit, was sent to seven days of police custody.

Brijit Kutum, another activist linked to the protest movement, was also taken into custody around the same time as Doley.

Police said the case stemmed from a protest on June 28-29 during which demonstrators allegedly entered the project site, removed survey equipment and confronted workers. The accused have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those relating to unlawful assembly, criminal trespass, rioting and criminal intimidation.

‘Chilling effect on civic space’

The experts, who included members of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights and special rapporteurs on freedom of expression, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, freedom of assembly and human rights defenders, said the local police involved in the arrests had previously faced allegations of torture and ill-treatment, and urged Indian authorities to ensure the detainees were treated with dignity.

They called for the defenders’ immediate release if their detention was linked solely to peaceful advocacy and urged the government to suspend land acquisition or development at the site until affected Indigenous communities had been meaningfully consulted and had given their free, prior and informed consent. 

The experts said they had already contacted the Indian government on the issue.