New Delhi: The Press Club of India (PCI) has expressed shock over the re-arrest of senior digital media journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder by Assam Police on Thursday (March 27) evening, shortly after his release on bail.
The PCI has stood in solidarity with the Guwahati Press Club (GPC) and journalists who held a silent protest on March 27 night, demanding Mozumder’s unconditional and immediate release. The Assam Women Journalists’ Forum (AWJF) has also condemned the re-arrest of Mozumder in a second case.
“The AWJF extends their solidarity to Mozumder, calling for his immediate release and demanding that the police cease their harassment of him and his family members,” the Assam press body said in a press release.
Moreover, the PCI and AWJF have condemned an attempt made by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to define who is a ‘legitimate’ journalist or ‘who is considered a journalist’ and shift attention away from the issue.
Also read: Assam Journalist’s Arrest and Re-Arrest Point to Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Newfound Unease
On Thursday, Sarma said that the Assam government does not officially recognise people working in online news portals as journalists. “Legacy media is recognised as journalists by the Assam government. But YouTube channels, portals – the recognition of these is just something that is being discussed. A decision has not been made on this… We don’t register them, we don’t give them advertisements, we don’t give them ID cards. So this person does not come under the Assam government’s understanding of journalist,” Sarma was quoted as saying.
In a press release, the PCI underlined that such an attempt is “preventing a journalist from carrying out his official duty which is a grave infringement of the freedom of press guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (A) of the Constitution.” Similarly, the AWJF expressed concern that this narrative is being used to undermine journalists who might not fit into the government’s definition of a ‘legitimate’ journalist, with some sections trying to malign even women media persons.
Mozumder, the chief reporter of Guwahati-based news portal and YouTube channel, The CrossCurrent, was initially detained and then arrested by Pan Bazar police on Tuesday (March 25) after he covered a protest against alleged corruption in the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank – chief minister Sarma is its director and BJP MLA Biswajit Phukan is the chairman. He was granted bail by the Kamrup chief judicial magistrate (CJM)’s court on Wednesday (March 26) in one of the two cases filed against him.
On Thursday (March 27), Mozumder was re-arrested on the complaint filed by the bank’s managing director, Dambaru Saikia. As reported earlier by The Wire, in a video clip released by The CrossCurrent, Saikia could be seen asking Mozumder to “come upstairs” to his office to record his statement on the allegations of financial irregularities at the bank, however, he later complained to the police that Mozumder not only trespassed into the premises but also tried to “steal” important files.
