Guwahati: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report regarding the detention of Assam-based journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder after he covered a protest against the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank Ltd in Guwahati on the alleged financial irregularities.
The Commission issued a notice to the Assam Director General of Police for a detailed report on the issue within four weeks, an official release said on Thursday.
The NHRC took cognisance of a media report that on 25th March, 2025, in Guwahati, a journalist of a digital news portal was called at Panbazar police and detained after a dharna in front of the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank Ltd, which he had gone to cover.
The Commission said that the detention of the journalist was a ‘potential violation’ of human rights if the contents of his reporting were accurate.
It also noted that no reason was provided for Mozumder’s detention.
Mozumder, who works with digital news outlet The CrossCurrent, was arrested on March 25 after he sought to ask questions to Dombaru Saikia, the managing director of the Assam Co-operative Apex Bank, regarding alleged financial irregularities.
Earlier that day, the Jatiya Yuva Shakti, the youth wing of the Assam Jatiya Parishad, had held a protest against the alleged irregularities.
The protestors were demanding a high-level inquiry into the alleged financial irregularities in the management of the bank and strict action against those responsible.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is a director of the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Biswajit Phukan is its chairman.
First, Mozumder was arrested on charges of criminal intimidation in a case filed by a security guard at the bank, as well as under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act. He was granted bail in this case the next evening.
Despite the bail, Mozumder was taken to the Pan Bazar police station and arrested in connection with a second case filed by Saikia, who claimed that the journalist had trespassed onto the first floor of the office on March 25 and attempted to take away documents.
Saikia claimed that Mozumder fled after the bank staff raised an alarm.
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“During the incident, the accused disturbed the bank’s operations, threatened the employees and made caste-based derogatory remarks towards the security guard,” he alleged.
Mozumder was only released from jail on March 29.
