Court slams Assam Police for misusing SC/ST Act in journalist’s arrest, exposes political conspiracy

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 30, 2025

In a major development, the court has strongly criticized Assam Police for falsely invoking the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to arrest journalist Dilawar Hussain Mazumdar. The court found no evidence of caste-based abuse and called out the misuse of legal provisions to suppress press freedom and shield corruption in the Assam State Cooperative Apex Bank.

At a press conference, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) spokesperson Ziaur Rahman, along with party leaders Girin Talukdar and Chandra Pal Baruah, accused the BJP-led state government of orchestrating Mazumdar’s arrest to silence critical journalism.

Mazumdar was arrested on March 25 while covering a protest organized by AJP’s youth wing, Jatiya Yuva Shakti, demanding an investigation into alleged corruption at Apex Bank. Though he was granted bail on March 26, the police re-arrested him on March 27, adding new charges, including robbery and violations under the SC/ST Act. However, the court, in its bail order, dismissed these charges as unsubstantiated.

Rahman stated, “The court has categorically noted that the SC/ST Act is meant to protect marginalized communities, not to be misused for political vendettas. The police failed to provide any proof that Mazumdar used caste-based slurs or committed robbery.”

Rahman further alleged that the conspiracy behind Mazumdar’s arrest extends beyond bank officials. He pointed out that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in his March 27 speech, spent eight minutes justifying the journalist’s arrest, signalling that the operation had political backing.

“It is now clear that the Chief Minister himself is behind this attempt to suppress press freedom and protect corruption,” Rahman asserted.

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The press conference also shed light on massive financial irregularities at Apex Bank. Rahman revealed that Rajesh Bajaj, previously implicated in the Saradha scam, withdrew Rs 60.30 crore through a banned Demand Bill Purchasing system between 2019 and 2023. Shockingly, Rs 30 crore of these funds were approved when Sarma was the bank’s chairman.

AJP has demanded an independent, high-level investigation into both Mazumdar’s arrest and the Apex Bank scandal. Rahman stated, “If the Chief Minister is truly committed to transparency, he must order the immediate arrest of Rajesh Bajaj and initiate an unbiased inquiry.”

The court’s ruling has sparked fresh outrage over press suppression and corruption in Assam, with opposition leaders and civil society groups calling for accountability at the highest levels of government.