Imphal: Senior journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder on Friday (March 28) was granted bail for the second time following his re-arrest on Thursday in connection with a fresh case filed against him.Mozumder, who works for The CrossCurrent news outlet, was initially arrested on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday on charges including insulting an employee of the Assam Co-operative Apex Bank who hails from a Scheduled Tribe community.He was granted bail on Wednesday but was only released the next day as he did not furnish a bail bond in time.However, he was re-arrested immediately by the police in connection with another complaint.His second arrest stemmed from a complaint filed by Dambaru Saikia, managing director of the Assam Co-operative Apex Bank.According to the FIR lodged at the Pan Bazar police station, Mozumder allegedly entered the bank’s head office unlawfully at around 12:30 pm on Tuesday and attempted to steal crucial documents.The complaint states that bank employees raised an alarm, leading to his swift departure from the premises. The police invoked Sections 329, 324(4), 351(2), 309(4) and 115 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Mozumder in this case.Mozumder was detained on Tuesday after he covered a protest at the bank’s office in the Pan Bazar area that took place in response to allegations of a recruitment scam.Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is the bank’s director.Although Saikia has accused Mozumder of entering the bank unlawfully and attempting to steal files, the managing director can be seen in a video clip released by The CrossCurrent asking Mozumder to “come upstairs” to his office to record his statement on the allegations of financial irregularities at the bank.Also read: Assam Journalist’s Arrest and Re-Arrest Point to Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Newfound UneaseFollowing his hours-long detention on Tuesday, Mozumder was arrested late at night.He was granted bail on Wednesday by a local court in the non-bailable case against him, which invoked the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.While granting him bail, the court noted that the security guard who Mozumder allegedly insulted “has not stated that the accused had made any derogatory remark to humiliate him or insult him or his community”.“In this situation, imputing such allegations upon the accused would not be anything less than misusing the law which was created to protect members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes rather than to use it as a tool to arrest people on false grounds,” it continued.Mozumder’s arrest and re-arrest have sparked concern among media bodies. Both the Press Club of India (PCI) and the Guwahati Press Club condemned the action against Mozumder, viewing them as an attack on press freedom.The PCI in particular criticised Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his comments regarding the legitimacy of digital media professionals.Sarma, whose family owns multiple news portals in Assam, stated that individuals working for news websites and YouTube channels are not recognised as journalists.On Thursday, protests were also held in two cities against Mozumder’s arrest. In Delhi, members of the Northeast Media Association staged a silent demonstration at the Press Club of India, wearing black badges as a symbol of protest. In Guwahati, another silent protest took place that night in front of the Pan Bazar police station, where Mozumder was being held.The PCI strongly condemned what it described as an attempt to redefine journalism to silence critical voices.It emphasised that such actions constituted a “grave infringement of the freedom of the press guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the constitution”.Mozumder’s case highlights growing concerns over press freedom in Assam, especially as journalists reporting on issues linked to the state’s political establishment continue to face legal action and intimidation.
