GUWAHATI: Tensions escalated in Rongajan Village near Kohora, within the Kaziranga Constituency, on August 7 when two leaders of rights groups were surrounded by a threatening mob of over 100 people.
Manohar Pegu and Ritupan Pegu, affiliated to the National Alliance of Peoples' Movements (NAPM) and the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Committee (GKLHRC) respectively, were gathering testimonies from 45 families displaced by the proposed Hyatt Hotel in Inglay Pathar.
The mob, chanting slogans against Pranab Doley, convenor of GKLHRC, and committee member Rajib Pegu, threatened Manohar and Ritupan, preventing them from leaving the village. Additionally, Doley's car was damaged during the altercation.
In a separate incident, Minali Gowala and her young daughter were assaulted in their home in Rongajan. Minali, a farmer evicted from the land acquired for the proposed hotel, was further victimised when police arrested Geeta Gowala, another farmer, instead of taking witness statements from Minali and her daughter.
Friends and colleagues of Ritupan and Manohar sought intervention from the Bokakhat police, only to be initially refused. When they persisted, some were attacked, and Saurav Patgiri, an independent research scholar, along with local youth Subham, were detained by the police.
While no action was taken against the mob, police detained Manohar, Ritupan, and Minali, all connected to opposition against the land acquisition for the proposed Hyatt Hotel. Saurav and Subham remain in police custody.
Pranab Doley, speaking to GPlus, stated, "This mob attack shows a complete administrative and law and order failure in Kaziranga. This is a preplanned political attack orchestrated by members of the ruling party who were opposed to the questions we have been raising on various issues of Kaziranga, including the illegal land transfers to five-star hotels. The police and the district administration are hand-in-glove with the mob who attacked our members and the victims of the land acquisition. It was very clear that the mob wanted to murder me and our members."
The GKLHRC, representing over 100 villages around Kaziranga, has actively advocated for land rights of those evicted in Inglay Pathar. Despite documentation proving their ancestral claims, the Golaghat District Administration demolished homes on June 7, prompting mass protests. Currently, the disputed land is fenced and guarded by police.
The proposed hotel site is also a grazing ground for wildlife from Kaziranga, with conservation groups, including UNESCO advisory bodies, urging the Assam government to halt land diversion for hotels. The National Green Tribunal has also taken notice, with a pending case against the land transfer in Kaziranga.
Critics allege that vested interests, including land speculators and politicians, have misled the public against GKLHRC and others opposing the land transfer. The arrests by Bokakhat Police are seen as a failure to protect citizens and an alignment with the mob and its backers.
Rajen Singh, Superintendent of Police, Golaghat, commented, "The incident was reported inside Hathikuli, which is a region of tea tribes. They surrounded those who went there at around 9:30 PM. If it would've been a democratic practice then they would not have been in any trouble, but who arranges protests inside a village during late hours? Eventually, we rescued them and shifted them to Kohora outpost. Later, a complaint was filed against them and they were detained. Those who are raising allegations should thank the police for rescuing them. Even their vehicle was vandalised."
