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Guwahati: A Guwahati court granted bail to senior journalist Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar on Wednesday after he was arrested for reporting on a corruption case. His arrest led to protests from journalists demanding press freedom.
Mazumdar, a reporter with The Cross Current, was taken into custody by Panbazar police. He was called to the police station on Tuesday after interviewing Assam Cooperative Apex Bank’s Managing Director, Dambaru Saikia, during a protest by the Jatiya Yuva Shakti group.
His lawyers, Shantanu Barthakur, Rahul Shenchwa, and AS Tapadar, fought his case and secured his bail.
The police wanted to keep him in custody for five days but could not provide strong evidence. The Kamrup (Metro) Chief Judicial Magistrate’s (CJM) Court found the case weak and granted bail. He was charged under Case No. 110/25, including Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 3(1)(r) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (Amendment 2015).
The case started after an FIR was filed by Sishupal Boro, a security guard at Assam Cooperative Apex Bank. However, the details of the complaint are unclear.
After his arrest, journalists across Assam protested from Tuesday to Wednesday evening. The situation became tense when journalists clashed with the police.
The Guwahati Press Club, where Mazumdar is the Assistant General Secretary, strongly opposed the arrest. The Press Club of India (PCI) also criticized it, calling it a threat to press freedom.
The court’s decision to grant bail was seen as a win for journalism. Many believe the weak case against Mazumdar was an attempt to silence the press. Though protests stopped after the bail, the debate on press freedom in Assam continue