The Opposition party termed the action a "blatant misuse" of preventive detention laws and an "overreach" by the state.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Assam government invoked the NSA against Doley on July 30, a day after a district court granted him bail.

"This is a blatant misuse of preventive detention laws and overreach by the state. "The use of the NSA against Doley is part of a growing pattern of BJP governments weaponising extraordinary laws to silence dissent," Ramesh said in a post on social media.

He alleged that the NSA detention order was based on vague and speculative allegations, including claims that Doley had engaged in "suspicious foreign transactions from doubtful sources", which he described as part of the current government's familiar script.

The Congress leader said, Doley was arrested for supporting villagers protesting against a proposed five-star resort near Kaziranga National Park, a project backed by the Assam government.

He noted that the indigenous residents of Golaghat district had been opposing the project since 2022 and had even approached the Gauhati High Court, alleging that the land was forcibly acquired from them.

Referring to the July 29 bail order, he said the sessions court had observed that "where ecological preservation intersects with indigenous survival, criminal law cannot be used to suppress legitimate local anxieties".

"It is clear that the Assam government invoked the NSA to do exactly that," he alleged.

Ramesh further asserted that BJP governments across the country cannot suppress the legitimate grievances of working-class, indigenous and marginalised communities through arrests and draconian laws.

"The Assam Government continues to show utter disregard for the rule of law and for democratic dissent. The Supreme Court and several high courts have repeatedly cautioned that preventive detention laws must not be used as a device to defeat or circumvent judicial orders granting bail, or merely to prolong a person's incarceration," he said.

His remarks came after Doley was detained under the stringent NSA a day after securing bail in a case linked to protests against a proposed five-star hotel near Kaziranga National Park.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi had also criticised the move on Saturday, alleging that it reflected the state government's intolerance towards dissent.

Gogoi additionally referred to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's warning about invoking the NSA against artists over a mural of singer Zubeen Garg in Guwahati.

Doley was arrested in Guwahati on July 13 and lodged in Golaghat district jail. He was granted bail on July 29 in connection with a protest held in June.

However, the Assam government invoked the NSA against him the following day, ensuring his continued detention in the same jail, according to the detention order.

The order, issued under Section 3(2) of the National Security Act, 1980, stated that preventive detention was necessary and directed that Doley be detained in Golaghat District Jail.

Doley has been at the forefront of protests against the proposed five-star hotel project near the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kaziranga National Park, alleging that it poses a threat to the region's fragile ecology.

PTI