ITANAGAR, 26 Mar: The Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) has strongly condemned the detention of senior journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder by the Assam police in Guwahati on 25 March.
Mozumder, who served as the chief reporter of The CrossCurrent, was merely performing his journalistic duty when he was taken into custody after attempting to question Dambaru Saikia, managing director of the Assam Co-operative Apex Bank, regarding allegations of a recruitment scam, the Union said in a statement.
The incident, which unfolded during a public protest by the Jatiya Yuva Sakti-youth wing of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP)-is deeply disturbing and raises serious concerns about the state of press freedom and the right of journalists to hold those in positions of power accountable, it said. “That a journalist was detained merely for seeking answers from a public official in connection with a matter of public interest is unacceptable in a democratic society,” it said adding that the actions not only intimidate the press but also erode public trust in the institutions meant to uphold transparency and accountability. We view this as an attempt to muzzle independent journalism and dissuade journalists from carrying out their fundamental duty of informing the public, the journalists union said.
“The APUWJ stands in solidarity with Dilwar Hussain Mozumder and urge authorities to respect the constitutional protections guaranteed to journalists and to refrain from using coercive tactics to suppress the freedom of the press,” the Union said while appealing to journalist bodies across the Northeast and the country to unite against such transgressions and continue to advocate for a media environment free from fear and intimidation.
