National: The Press Club of India (PCI) has expressed strong solidarity with the Guwahati Press Club, condemning the Assam Police’s midnight arrest of digital media journalist Dilawar Hussain Mozumder.
The journalist, who also serves as the assistant general secretary of the Guwahati Press Club, was detained at Guwahati’s Pan Bazar police station on March 25 without prior notification to his family or media organization about the charges against him.
Mozumder was apprehended while covering a protest by a sister organization of the Assam Jatiya Parishad outside the Assam Co-Operative Apex Bank headquarters. The demonstration alleged corruption in the bank’s recruitment process. During his coverage, Mozumder approached the bank’s managing director, Dambaru Saikia, for a statement. Shortly after leaving the premises, he was summoned to the police station and subsequently detained.
Despite repeated requests, the police did not allow his family, fellow journalists, or even his legal counsel to meet him. Mozumder, who was fasting for Ramadan and is diabetic, was also denied access to food and essential medication. It was only after persistent appeals that his wife was permitted a brief visit late at night.
Post-midnight, the police informed journalists that Mozumder had been arrested under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, allegedly for offending a member of the Bodo community. However, authorities did not disclose the identity of the complainant or details of the alleged offense, raising further questions about the transparency of the proceedings.
The PCI has denounced the Assam Police’s handling of the situation, describing it as a blatant attack on press freedom and a violation of Article 19(1)(A) of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. The organization has urged the Assam government and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to uphold press freedom, ensure lawful conduct by law enforcement, and prevent the misuse of legal provisions like the SC/ST Act against journalists.
Mozumder’s arrest has sparked widespread outrage among the journalistic community and human rights organizations, intensifying calls for an impartial investigation and immediate action to safeguard media freedom and democratic values in Assam.