Guwahati, March 26: The journalist fraternity in Guwahati took to the streets on Wednesday, protesting against the alleged politically motivated arrest of senior reporter Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar.
A reporter with The CrossCurrent, a city-based news portal, and assistant general secretary of the Guwahati Press Club, Mazumdar was produced in court the same day, with the police seeking a five-day remand.
Journalists, editors, activists, and student groups gathered outside the Guwahati Press Club in Ambari, denouncing the arrest as an attempt to stifle press freedom and intimidate voices critical of those in power.
“This is not just an assault on Dilwar Hussain but a threat to all journalists and the essence of a free press,” said one of the protesting journalists.
The demonstrators, chanting slogans against the state police and authorities, formed a human chain before marching toward the Pan Bazar police station. A brief skirmish broke out as police personnel attempted to stop them.
“The government only wants to hear its praise. If journalists don’t highlight its flaws, who else will? This politically motivated act aims to silence those who question the authorities,” said Niharika Shaw Ikia, literary secretary of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU).
Protests were not limited to Guwahati. Journalists in Jorhat, Dibrugarh, and Biswanath also demonstrated, demanding Mazumdar’s immediate release.
In Jorhat, Press Club secretary Parmananda Bora expressed concern over the increasing hostility towards journalists. “Instead of a free environment, we see an oppressive approach toward the press,” he said.
Protestors in front of Jorhat press club
Mazumdar was detained on March 25 after attempting to question Dambaru Saikia, Managing Director of the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank, about allegations of a multi-crore recruitment scam.
He had been covering a protest organised by Jatiya Yuva Sakti, the youth wing of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), outside the bank premises in Pan Bazar.
A video shared by The CrossCurrent showed Mazumdar questioning Saikia, who suggested they continue the discussion in his office. Moments later, Mazumdar received a call from Pan Bazar Police Station and was detained for nearly 12 hours.
Arup Kalita, editor of The CrossCurrent, condemned the detention. “We are not being allowed to meet Mazumdar, and the police have not specified the exact charges against him. This is a blatant attack on press freedom,” he said.
According to the FIR, Mazumdar has been charged under Sections 351(2)/3(1)(r) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2015. The police allege that he made derogatory remarks against a Scheduled Tribe individual.
However, legal experts have questioned the validity of the charges. A Supreme Court ruling on March 25 in the Shajan Skaria vs. State of Kerala case clarified that accusations under the SC/ST Act require the offensive remarks to be made “within public view”.
However, the FIR reportedly doesn’t fulfill the legal criteria set by the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, as protests intensify, journalists have vowed to continue their demonstrations until Mazumdar is released and the charges dropped.
The Guwahati Press Club has also called for nationwide support from media organisations, asserting that an attack on one journalist is “an attack on the entire press community”.