Journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumdar gets bail but faces new charges; press freedom concerns escalate

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 26, 2025

In a significant development, journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumdar, Assistant General Secretary of the Guwahati Press Club and a reporter for digital news portal The Cross Current, was granted bail by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup Metro, on Wednesday. However, despite securing bail, he remains in custody as police have filed fresh charges against him, escalating concerns over press freedom in Assam.

Mozumdar was initially booked under Case No. 110/2025 under Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 3(1)(r) of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (Amended 2015). While the court approved his bail, procedural delays prevented the signing of the bail bond on Wednesday, forcing him to remain in police custody overnight. In a rapid development, the Panbazar Police Station registered another case against him (Case No. 111/2025) under additional sections of BNS, and he is set to be produced in court on Thursday.

Mozumdar’s arrest has ignited outrage among journalists, civil society, and political leaders. He was detained while covering a protest by Jatiya Yuva Shakti against alleged corruption at Apex Bank. The journalist had reportedly questioned Apex Bank’s Managing Director, Dambaru Saikia, outside the bank’s headquarters when he was accused of making “offensive” and “derogatory” remarks.

Controversy deepened when police allegedly denied entry to fellow journalists and Mozumdar’s lawyer at Panbazar Police Station. His mobile phone was seized, cutting off all communication during his detention. These actions have drawn severe criticism from media organizations and human rights activists, who see this as a direct assault on press freedom.

Journalists across Assam launched protests demanding Mozumdar’s unconditional release. The Guwahati Press Club (GPC) staged a massive demonstration on Wednesday, where hundreds of senior journalists gathered to condemn the police action. The GPC passed a resolution warning the state government against unjustified harassment of journalists.

“If Mozumdar is not released today, we will take our protest outside the Guwahati Press Club,” declared GPC President Susmita Goswami and General Secretary Sanjay Ray.

The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) and the Journalists Union of Assam (JUA) have strongly denounced the arrest. IJU President Sabina Inderjit, a former member of the Press Council of India and Vice President of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), called the incident a “clear violation of press freedom.”

“Arresting journalists for merely performing their duties is unacceptable. It is a direct attack on media rights,” Inderjit stated, urging the government to focus on tackling corruption instead of silencing those exposing it.

The Press Club of India has also extended its support to the Guwahati Press Club’s protest, emphasizing that arresting journalists undermines democratic values and accountability in governance.

The Assam Women Journalists’ Forum (AWJF) strongly condemned Mozumdar’s detention and subsequent arrest, demanding his immediate release. AWJF President Durba Ghosh and General Secretary Nasreen Habib underscored the need for journalists to work without fear of reprisal.

“The detention of Mozumdar is not just an attack on an individual journalist but an attack on press freedom in Assam and across the country. The state must allow journalists to report freely,” they stated in a joint release.

Political parties, including the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), slammed the arrest as an attempt to suppress journalistic freedom. Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Jatiya Dal Assam, North East Indigenous People’s Forum (NEIPF), and various other organizations joined the protests, demanding an end to the persecution of journalists and calling for Mozumdar’s immediate and unconditional release.

Mozumdar’s arrest and prolonged detention have intensified the debate on press freedom and government accountability in Assam. With mounting pressure from journalists, political leaders, and civil society groups, attention now turns to the court proceedings scheduled for Thursday.

The journalist community remains steadfast in its stand: journalism is not a crime, and those who seek to expose corruption must not be silenced. The coming days will determine whether the government will respect press freedom or continue down a path that endangers the very essence of democracy in India.