April 3, 2025: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of reports regarding the detention of journalist Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar in Guwahati, Assam. On March 25, 2025, Mazumdar, a senior journalist with The CrossCurrent and Assistant General Secretary of the Guwahati Press Club, was detained by Panbazar police after covering a protest against alleged financial irregularities at the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank Ltd.
According to reports, the journalist questioned the bank’s Managing Director, Dambaru Saikia, about the alleged financial mismanagement. He was then invited inside the bank premises, where he claimed to have been intimidated, and his phone was forcibly wiped of video footage. Other journalists were also allegedly pressured to delete their recordings. When Mazumdar went to the Panbazar police station to file a complaint, he was detained for several hours without any clear explanation. Later that night, he was arrested under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2015.
The NHRC has stated that these allegations, if true, amount to a violation of the journalist's human rights and press freedom. It has issued a notice to the Assam Director General of Police, seeking a detailed report on the incident within four weeks.
The journalist's arrest had drawn widespread condemnation from media organizations and political parties. The Editors Guild of India had called for the Assam administration to clarify the circumstances surrounding the detention and ensure that journalists can perform their duties without intimidation. The Press Club of India also condemned the arrest, citing it as an infringement on press freedom, and urged the state government to prevent the misuse of legal provisions against journalists.
This case has reignited concerns about press freedom in India, highlighting the role of human rights bodies in upholding democratic values and ensuring that journalists can report without fear of persecution.