Dilwar Hussain Mozumder, the reporter of an Assamese news portal, was released from the Guwahati Central Jail on Saturday (March 29, 2025), a day after receiving bail in the second case against him.
He was arrested on March 25 after covering a protest against the alleged financial irregularities in the State-run Assam Cooperative Apex Bank Limited, of which Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is a director. Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Biswajit Phukan is the bank’s chairman.
He was granted bail the following day but was rearrested on March 27 in a second case filed by the bank’s managing director Dambaru Saikia. He was accused of trying to steal crucial documents after initially being charged with criminal intimidation and abusing a member of the Scheduled Tribes.
Seeking bail in the second case, Mr. Mozumder’s lawyer said his re-arrest was a clear attempt to harass and intimidate the journalist, who had been reporting on sensitive issues.
“I am grateful to the media fraternity, lawyers, and civil society organisations for standing by me. I have nothing to hide,” he said, referring to questions raised about his status as a journalist while allegedly practising law and running a business.
Earlier, the Assam Civil Society and the Assam Film Fraternity issued separate statements demanding his unconditional release. The former condemned his rearrest as a “direct attack on the media and freedom of speech” and called for a high-level investigation into the alleged corruption in the bank.
