Akhil Gogoi
Akhil Gogoi is a human rights defender and president of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS), an organisation working with indigenous communities in Assam to protect and promote their land rights. Akhil Gogoi is also an active campaigner against the construction of mega-dams in the state of Assam and against land mafias. An outspoken Right to Information (RTI) activist, he has been very vocal against corruption in the public sphere.
Human rights defenders in India face a diverse range of attacks and harassment for their work defending the rights of others, including killings, torture, ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, smear campaigns, and judicial harassment. People defending the rights of marginalised communities are targeted by state and non-state actors alike. Armed groups and private companies also target HRDs and community leaders for work related to economic development projects and their impact on the local communities or the environment. HRDs have also been labelled as "insurgents" or “Naxalites” (Maoists), in an attempt to discredit their work and justify their targeting.
