Assam Co-operative Bank scam: A protest was going on outside the Assam Cooperative APICS Bank in Guwahati on March 25. The reason for this protest was the allegations of a Rs 50 crore scam against the bank. Journalist Dilbar Hussain Majumdar had come to cover this protest, but he was called inside by the bank’s Managing Director (MD) Dambaru Sakia. After this, as soon as Dilbar came out of the bank, the police caught him and took him to the police station. A case has been registered against Dilbar under the SC/ST Act, in which it is alleged that he used casteist words against the bank’s security guard. However, Dilbar denies these allegations and says that all this happened because he covered the ongoing protest against the bank.
Dilbar’s arrest and subsequent events
Dilbar was produced in the sessions court on March 26, where the police failed to produce any concrete evidence. The court rejected the police’s claim and said that the security guard’s statement did not prove that Dilbar had intentionally insulted. The court granted him bail the same day. However, even after getting bail, the police arrested him again in another case. This time the bank’s MD Dambaru Sakia had filed an FIR against him. Dilbar got bail again, but this incident has raised questions about media freedom.
Chief Minister’s statement and media’s reaction
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has described Dilbar’s family as land brokers. He alleged that Dilbar’s brother was also a land broker earlier and the government did not take any action against him. This has been criticized by journalists and opposition parties. Assam Press Club President Sushmita Goswami called it an attack on media freedom and said that this situation is frightening for journalists. She warned that if the government continues to take such steps against journalists, the media will have to face more difficulties.
Bank scam and political controversy
Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and Congress have accused the government in this case. They say that journalists are being targeted to hide the scam between the government and the bank. Congress has demanded an impartial investigation of this scam from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the same time, BJP spokesperson Kishore Upadhyay linked Dilbar’s arrest to a personal matter and said that he was not arrested because he was a journalist. He also said that if there has been any financial irregularity against the bank, it will be investigated impartially.
