India: journalist Hussain Mozumder targeted with inexcusable reprisals for reporting on alleged bank fraud linked to politicians
Arrested, re-arrested, prosecuted, discredited — journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder has been hit with a wave of reprisals after trying to interview the director of a bank linked to the chief minister of Assam, a state in north-eastern India, about alleged fraud. Although he was released on bail on 29 March, the reporter is still being prosecuted on several charges, including trespassing and attempted theft of documents. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the dismissal of these unfounded charges against the journalist.
Dilwar Hussain Mozumder, a journalist for the independent news website Cross Currents and deputy secretary general of the Gauhati Press Club, has been arrested, held in custody and prosecuted after trying to cover a case of bank fraud. The ordeal started on 25 March, when the journalist was covering a protest against alleged embezzlement and illegal recruitment at the Assam Co-operative Apex Bank in Guwahati, a city in Assam. The bank is run by influential politicians, including a member of parliament and the chief minister of Assam, who are members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Dilwar Hussain Mozumder asked for an interview with the bank's CEO, Dambaru Saikia, who invited the reporter to his office. As he was leaving the bank, the journalist received a call from the Panbazar police station asking him to come in. Once at the police station, he was taken into custody and officially arrested later that evening, accused of having made offensive remarks about a security guard by mentioning his caste. He was granted bail the following day, but remained in custody for an additional night while the procedure was finalised. Even before his release on 27 March, the journalist was placed under arrest yet again following a second complaint filed by the bank's managing director, accusing him of trespassing and attempting to steal documents. He was not released until 29 March, after obtaining bail for a second time.
“Dilwar Hussain Mozumder was arrested and prosecuted while he was investigating an alleged fraud case involving a bank run by influential politicians — this seems to be a clear act of retaliation. RSF calls for the dropping of all spurious charges against this journalist, whose only crime was that he did his job and reported the news.
Detained then publicly discredited
At a press conference, the chief minister of Assam – who is also the bank's director – stated that: ‘“The government does not identify Dilwar Hussain as a journalist.” He continued that, “In Assam, only legacy media – print and television – are officially recognised.” In a post on X, he also said that he would “like to clarify that Assam Police has not arrested any journalist in recent times.”
Dilwar Hussain Mozumder's arrest sparked a wave of demonstrations in Assam and drew protests from journalists' organisations condemning this attack on press freedom.
