Guwahati, March 26: In a dramatic turn of events, journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumdar, an assistant general secretary of the Guwahati Press Club and a reporter for digital news portal The Cross Current, was granted bail by the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup Metro, on Wednesday. However, despite securing bail, Mozumdar remains in custody as the police have filed fresh charges against him.
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, keeping him in police custody overnight. In a swift move, the Panbazar Police Station registered another case against him (Case No. 111/2025) under additional sections of BNS, for which he is scheduled to be produced in court on Thursday.
Mozumdar’s arrest has triggered widespread condemnation from the journalist fraternity and civil society. He was taken into custody 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 detained for allegedly making “offensive” and “derogatory” remarks.
Adding to the controversy, police reportedly barred journalists and Mozumdar’s lawyer from entering the Panbazar Police Station in Guwahati. His mobile phone was also confiscated, cutting off all communication with the outside world during his detention. These actions have drawn sharp criticism from media bodies and human rights organizations, who view this as a blatant attack on press freedom.
In a show of solidarity, journalists across Assam staged protests demanding Mozumdar’s unconditional release. The Guwahati Press Club (GPC) led a major demonstration on Wednesday, where hundreds of senior journalists gathered to denounce the police action. The GPC passed a resolution warning the state government against harassing journalists without due cause.
“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 condemned the arrest. IJU President Sabina Inderjit, who is also a former member of the Press Council of India and Vice President of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), released a statement calling the arrest a “violation of press freedom.”
“Arresting journalists for merely performing their duties is unacceptable. It is a direct attack on media rights,” Inderjit stated. She urged the government to focus on tackling corruption instead of targeting those who expose it.
The Press Club of India has also extended its support to the Guwahati Press Club’s protest, emphasizing that the arrest of journalists undermines the democratic principles of free speech and accountability.
The Assam Women Journalists’ Forum (AWJF) condemned Mozumdar’s detention and subsequent arrest, demanding his immediate release. AWJF President Durba Ghosh and General Secretary Nasreen Habib stressed the importance of ensuring that journalists can work without fear of arrest or intimidation.
“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 said in a joint statement.
Political parties, including the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), also denounced the arrest, calling it an attempt to stifle press freedom. Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Jatiya Dal Assam, North East Indigenous People’s Forum (NEIPF), and several other organizations joined the chorus of protests, demanding an end to the harassment of journalists and Mozumdar’s immediate release.
The arrest and continued detention of Dilwar Hussain Mozumdar have become a focal point in the ongoing debate about press freedom and government accountability in Assam. With growing pressure from media organizations, political leaders, and civil society, all eyes are now on the court proceedings scheduled for Thursday.
The journalist community remains firm in its stance: journalism is not a crime, and those who expose corruption must not be silenced. The coming days will determine whether the government heeds these calls for justice or continues down a path that threatens the very foundation of free speech in India.
