Protests over 'financial irregularities' in Assam bank, journalist detained
Protests over 'financial irregularities' in Assam bank, journalist detained
Guwahati, The Assam Jatiya Parishad's youth wing Jatiya Yuva Shakti on Tuesday staged a dharna in front of the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank Ltd to protest against alleged financial irregularities, following which a journalist of a digital news portal was detained by police.
The protesters, who had gathered in front of the bank’s headquarters at Panbazar, were demanding a high-level inquiry and strict action against those responsible for the alleged financial mismanagement in the bank, JYS general secretary Chandrapal Baruah said.
Senior journalist of 'The Cross Current', Dilwar Hussain Mozumdar who had gone to cover the protest, was summoned to the Panbazar police station and subsequently detained, though no reason has been cited for his detention thus far.
Mozumdar, who is also the assistant general secretary of the Gauhati Press Club, had earlier posted on Facebook that he has been summoned by the police, but has not been told the reason yet.
When contacted, a senior police officer refused to comment on the issue.
During the protest, Mozumdar had questioned the bank's MD on the alleged financial irregularities.
The Gauhati Press Club has condemned Mozumdar's detention and demanded his immediate release.
The protesters accused the state government of turning a blind eye to alleged corruption in the bank, despite substantial evidence of financial misconduct.
According to a copy of a complaint dated January 30, 2025, circulated during the protest by the youth organisation, the bank has been functioning without a formal contract with any IT vendor since June 2024, despite the expiration of previous agreements, which has led to concerns over operational stability and security risks for account holders.
The allegations also include a drastic and unjustified cost escalation of banking infrastructure contracts from ₹28 crore in 2018 to nearly ₹50 crore in 2025.
Taking cognisance of the allegations, the state government’s Cooperation Department had on March 3 directed the Assam Registrar of Cooperative Societies to investigate the claims and submit a report within 15 days.
“The financial future of account holders is at stake, yet the government remains silent. We demand an impartial probe and strict punishment for those who have betrayed public trust,” Baruah said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
