Senior journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder, Chief Reporter of the digital news portal The Crosscurrent, walked free from Guwahati Central Jail on Saturday after securing bail in the second case against him.
His arrest and subsequent rearrest had ignited widespread protests from journalist organisations and civil society groups, who condemned the move as an assault on press freedom.
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Upon his release, Mozumder expressed gratitude to fellow journalists, civil society members, and supporters who stood by him during the legal ordeal.
Mozumder, who also serves as the Assistant General Secretary of the Gauhati Press Club, was granted bail on Friday by First Class Judicial Magistrate Hirak Jyoti Das on a surety of Rs 20,000. However, he had to remain in judicial custody overnight as procedural formalities delayed his release on Friday.
Mozumder was first arrested at midnight on Tuesday following a nine-hour detention. His initial arrest stemmed from a complaint filed by a bank official after he had gone to cover a protest against alleged financial irregularities at Assam Cooperative Apex Bank Limited.
He was charged under Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal intimidation and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Although he was granted bail in the first case, police immediately re-arrested him in connection with a second case filed by the bank’s managing director, D. Saikia.
The fresh allegations accused him of attempting to steal confidential bank documents, disrupting operations, and making caste-based derogatory remarks towards a security guard belonging to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community.
Assam police booked him under multiple charges, including criminal trespass, mischief, criminal intimidation, robbery-related offences, and voluntarily causing hurt under the BNS.
Following his rearrest, authorities took Mozumder to his residence twice and seized certain documents, without disclosing details of the second case to his legal team and family beforehand.
The journalist fraternity swiftly condemned the arrests. The Gauhati Press Club (GPC) held an emergency executive meeting and announced that journalists across Assam would wear black badges at their workplaces from Friday to Sunday as a mark of protest.
National journalist organisations also joined the outcry. The Press Club of India (PCI) expressed shock at the re-arrest, stating that it was an attempt to divert attention from the real issue—preventing a journalist from performing his professional duties. The PCI emphasised that such actions violate the press freedom guaranteed under Article 19(1)(A) of the Constitution.
The Assam Women Journalists’ Forum (AWJF) denounced the arrest as part of a broader pattern of targeting journalists critical of the government. The forum warned against attempts to delegitimise independent voices in the media, particularly those challenging authority.
The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) condemned Mozumder’s “vindictive” arrest and rearrest, praising Assam’s journalist community for their unwavering protests.
