Guwahati: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging an independent inquiry into alleged financial irregularities at the Assam State Co-operative Apex Bank.
Gogoi has also condemned the wrongful arrest of senior journalist Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar, accusing the Assam government of intimidating the media instead of addressing the deepening banking scandal.
The controversy surrounding the bank’s financial irregularities has been ongoing since June 2024, when it was discovered that the bank had been operating without a formal contract with any IT vendor, raising severe security risks.
Additionally, infrastructure costs surged from Rs 28 crore in 2018 to nearly Rs 50 crore in 2025, with Rs 14 crore allegedly funneled to global consulting firm KPMG under suspicious circumstances.
Mazumdar’s arrest on March 25 has raised questions about press freedom. The journalist was covering a protest outside the Assam State Co-operative Apex Bank when he was detained by Pan Bazar Police under dubious circumstances. Initially charged with caste-based abuse, Mazumdar was granted bail, only to be re-arrested the next day on exaggerated charges of robbery and trespassing.
Gogoi has slammed Mazumdar’s arrest as an attempt to muzzle the press, calling for a full-fledged investigation into the police’s actions. He has also urged the Prime Minister to initiate an independent audit of the Assam Apex Bank, scrutinizing its financial records and governance.
The Congress MP emphasized that press freedom must be safeguarded against politically motivated crackdowns, stating that “this issue extends beyond one journalist—it strikes at the core of our democracy, the transparency of financial institutions, and the protection of constitutional rights”.
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