The Assam journalist, Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar, arrested after questioning the Cooperative Apex Bank’s MD on financial irregularities has been granted bail in one of the cases against him.
The arrest of Mazumdar, a journalist from a digital news portal in Assam, after being detained for over nine hours for questioning the MD of Assam Cooperative Apex Bank about alleged financial irregularities during a protest, has sparked widespread outrage.
Mazumdar, a journalist for The Crosscurrent, a news portal critical of the BJP government and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, was summoned to the Panbazar police station on Tuesday afternoon.
He was arrested after midnight based on a complaint filed by Dambaru Saikia, Managing Director of Assam Cooperative Apex Bank, alleging that he had committed an offence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The incident occurred when the journalist asked questions to the MD as the Assam Jatiya Parishad’s youth wing, Jatiya
Guwahati Press Club condemned the arrest, calling it “unfortunate”, “ deplorable” and a “clear attack on the fourth pillar of democracy.”
which is unfortunate! Such an incident is deplorable, the state is a clear attack on the fourth pillar of democracy.
“It is condemnable to arrest a front-row journalist for hours like this for no appropriate reason! Ashamed of Assam,” they said.
“Instead of arresting Dilwar Hossain Majumdar in this way, I strongly demand Assam Police to call and investigate if there are any legal implications against him.”
Meanwhile, journalists protested at the Guwahati Press Club for the immediate release of Mazumdar, who is also an assistant general secretary of the Guwahati Press Club.
The Press Club of India (PCI) expressed its solidarity with the Guwahati Press Club’s protest being held on Wednesday against the arrest.
The Press Club of India condemned the Assam Police’s “highhandedness”, particularly their refusal to inform his family and his colleagues on what grounds he was detained in the first place.
“Preventing a journalist from carrying out his official duty is a grave infringement of the freedom of the press that is guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (A) of the Constitution,” said the PCI statement.
PCI urged the Assam Government and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, to look into the matter with all sincerity, and “ensure that the state police respect the true spirit of the SC/ST Act, while also taking into consideration that there must not be any false charges lodged.”
“There must not be any false charges lodged against a reporter who belongs to a backward, minority community, and was covering a sensitive corruption-related protest as part of his routine job,” PCI statement emphasised.
Opposition parties like the Congress, Raijor Dal, and the Assam Jatiya Parishad have also demanded his immediate release.
Assam PCC President Bhupen K Borah demanded the immediate release of Mazumdar, calling this a “significant threat to democracy.”
“This marks a dark chapter in Indian democracy, as the government fears truthful reporting,” he said.
“The Assam Co-operative Bank, controlled by the Chief Minister, is a national asset. It is the responsibility of the opposition, various organizations, and the media to safeguard and uphold its integrity. However, the bank authorities have instead handed over a journalist to the police, an act that deserves strong condemnation,” he added.
Borah assured that “Congress will remain vigilant against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s attacks on the fourth pillar of democracy, as he lacks the courage to face the truth. The party takes this issue very seriously and will launch a public awareness campaign to counter such anti-people actions by the government.”
Akhil Gogoi, the president of Raijor Dal took to X, stating,” Attack on media is an attack on democracy. The attempt to silence the voice of free media is a manifestation of the fascist tendency of the government. I condemn the attack on journalist Dilwar Hussain Majumder.”
Ratul Kalita, senior spokesperson of Assam Indian National Congress, asked, “Is journalism a crime under Himanta Biswa’s regime?”
