Guwahati: The arrest of Dilwar Hussain Mozumder, a senior journalist has triggered massive outrage after police denied entry to journalists and his lawyer at Panbazar Police Station in Guwahati, Assam.

Mozumder's mobile phone was also seized, cutting off all communication while he was detained by the police.

The Guwahati Press Club strongly condemned the incident, demanding Mozumder's immediate release.

President Sushmita Goswami and General Secretary Sanjay Ray stated that the detention of a journalist for performing his duty is "deeply concerning" and urged authorities to uphold press freedom.

Mozumder was detained after questioning Apex Bank's Managing Director Dambaru Saikia during a protest outside the bank's headquarters. He was covering a demonstration by Jatiya Yuva Shakti against alleged corruption within Apex Bank.

Instead of addressing Mozumder's queries, bank officials called the police, leading to his detention and arrested later around midnight of Tuesday.

The incident has drawn sharp criticism from the media fraternity, with many viewing it as an attempt to intimidate journalists.

Mozumder is now at the centre of a growing demand for press freedom and accountability from police.

Media bodies and civil rights groups are seeking transparency in the police's actions, raising concerns over the safety of journalists in Assam.

Police said that he was arrested under 351(2) UNS R/W Section 3[1](r) Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (Amendment 2015). 

It was further informed by police that he was accused of using abusive and derogatory language against the "complainant".

However, his family stated that there were no such interactions as mentioned in the FIR with Mozumdar inside the bank. They claimed that he was harassed for reporting the incident and in the end was framed in a false case.

They also said that the bank officials had pressurised him to withdraw the protest and also remove the media from the site. However, his denying into the threats by the bank manager led to him being in legal trouble, they added.

The family members also claimed that the bank manager had also deleted the visuals of the protest from his phone.