Activist accuses Assam govt of targeting him after cops question his nationality | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Activist accuses Assam govt of targeting him after cops question his nationality

Dec 23, 2021 04:16 PM IST

Activist Pranab Doley, 35, said the passport office wrote to him regarding his request for renewal of the travel document, saying his nationality is doubtful as per the report received from the police.

An activist has accused the Assam government of targeting him because of his opposition to its policies after police raised questions over his nationality in their report for his passport renewal.

Pranab Doley, 35, who contested this year’s assembly polls on Anchalik Gana Morcha’s ticket and lost to Asom Gana Parishad president Atul Bora, belongs to the Mising tribe. (Twitter/@PranabDoley19)
Pranab Doley, 35, who contested this year’s assembly polls on Anchalik Gana Morcha’s ticket and lost to Asom Gana Parishad president Atul Bora, belongs to the Mising tribe. (Twitter/@PranabDoley19)

Pranab Doley, 35, who contested this year’s assembly polls on Anchalik Gana Morcha’s ticket and lost to Asom Gana Parishad president Atul Bora, belongs to the Mising tribe. He said he applied for the renewal in April after the validity of his passport expired in November last year. “Since I was busy with the election process, I did not apply for renewal earlier. I have held a passport for 10 years and travelled to many countries. Therefore, I expected the renewal to be an easy process.”

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Doley said he was called to the local police station around a month after he submitted the passport renewal form. “...on December 20, I got a letter from the regional passport office in Guwahati, saying as per police report, my nationality is doubtful.” HT has seen the letter.

Doley called the adverse report a violation of his fundamental rights. He questioned the police for sitting on his application before forwarding it to the passport office. “I have been at protests against human rights violations in the state and have taken a strong stand against the government’s evictions drives like the violent one at Gorukhuti. I feel the police report terming me a doubtful citizen is an impact of that,” said Doley. He added he feels the state government is afraid and wants to silence him.

Golaghat police superintendent Sumeet Sharma said they would look into the matter after getting a “written grievance” from Doley. “We sent our verification report following due processes. Doley has several criminal cases lodged against him and those details were also mentioned in our report. If he makes a formal complaint, we will check our records and see what the issue is.”

Doley has been arrested thrice over four years. He maintained the arrests related to his protests against the extrajudicial killing of a minor, compensation for crops damaged in floods, and for exposing a scam in the distribution of rice.

In July, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked police to clear passport verification applications within a week except in cases of applicants whose nationalities are doubtful.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Utpal is a Senior Assistant Editor based in Guwahati. He covers seven states of North-East India and heads the editorial team for the region. He was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times.

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