Guwahati: Arrested Assam journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder was released from Guwahati Central Jail on Saturday, following the granting of bail in a second case against him.
His release came after back-to-back arrests related to his coverage of alleged financial irregularities at the State-run Assam Cooperative Apex Bank Limited.
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Mozumder, who is associated with the Assamese news portal Cross Current, was initially arrested on March 25, 2025, while he was covering a protest concerning the bank, where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is a director and BJP MLA Biswajit Phukan is the chairman.
He was initially charged with criminal intimidation and abusing a member of the Scheduled Tribes. Although granted bail the following day, he was immediately re-arrested on March 27, 2025, based on a complaint filed by the bank’s managing director, Dambaru Saikia, alleging he attempted to steal crucial bank documents.
During the bail hearing for the second case, Mozumder’s lawyer argued that the re-arrest was a deliberate attempt to harass and intimidate the journalist, who had been reporting on sensitive issues.
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Mozumder, upon his release, expressed gratitude to the media fraternity, lawyers, and civil society organizations for their support, and asserted, “I have nothing to hide.”
The arrests sparked widespread protests from journalists and civil society groups, with the Assam Civil Society and the Assam Film Fraternity issuing statements demanding his unconditional release.
The Assam Civil Society condemned the re-arrest as a “direct attack on the media and freedom of speech” and called for a high-level investigation into the alleged corruption at the bank.
Protests were staged across the state, including by opposition parties like Congress, Raijor Dal, and Left parties, who burned effigies of Chief Minister Sarma, alleging infringement of press freedom.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma addressed the situation, stating that while he has no issue with journalists reporting against him, the law applies equally to all, regardless of profession.
He emphasized that journalism should not be mixed with other activities and that Mozumder’s cases were not related to his journalistic work.
Sarma also claimed that digital journalists are not recognized by the state government and that Mozumder’s status as a journalist was under question, as was his potential engagement in other business activities.
He also asserted that his government does not react to criticism from journalists.