‘Free Pranab Doley, Save Kaziranga’: Artist Marshall Baruah stages protest through painting at Dibrugarh University

“Free Pranab Doley, Save Kaziranga” — this was the message conveyed through a protest painting by artist Marshall Baruah at Dibrugarh University on August 22, as opposition grows to the proposed reduction of the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Kaziranga National Park.
 

With the support of the university’s student community, Baruah created the artwork at the DU HUT premises, using the canvas to highlight concerns over Kaziranga’s wildlife, environment and conservation.
 

The proposed reduction of the ESZ from 10 km to 1 km has triggered protests across Assam, with environmental groups and civil society organisations raising concerns over its possible implications for the national park and its surrounding ecosystem.
 

The painting also carried a call for the release of Pranab Doley, who was arrested in connection with a land rights movement. Baruah linked the demand for his release with the wider call to protect Kaziranga and the environment.
 

Speaking during the event, Baruah alleged that the government was compromising environmental interests for the benefit of a few people. He also spoke about the role of the younger generation in raising social and environmental issues and referred to singer Zubeen Garg.
 

The protest painting brought together concerns over Kaziranga’s conservation, environmental protection, land rights and the right to dissent, with Baruah using art as a medium to voice his protest.