From Doon to Tihar: Notes from Fractured Freedom

On 17 September 2009, a senior citizen of nearly 62 years with multiple health issues was dragged inside an SUV at a busy bus stop in Delhi. The 'abduction' or an arrest, as Kobad Ghandy writes in his prison memoir – Fractured Freedom was done by none other than the Andhra Pradesh Intelligence Bureau. Little Kobad knew that this arrest on his journey from Mumbai to Delhi for medical attention would initiate ten-year-long incarceration as a 'Naxal' undertrial. This memoir by Kobad is not an ordinary recollection of incidents. But a story that needs re-telling. A tale of - activism, the State's apathy and experiments with the Indian prisons (especially Tihar) and the cumbersome legal system. Kobad's prison memoir is broadly divided into three sections. The book's first section talks about his transition from a privileged upper-class student studying charted accountancy in Britain to a communist and activist. At the same time, the second section delves into the details of his hustle with the Indian jails and the legal system. Finally, in the last section, Kobad reflects upon his relationship with communism, democracy, and struggles. Taking the road less travelled Kobad got his schooling from Doon School, Dehradun. The list of his schoolmates included names like Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Kamal Nath and Naveen Patnaik (except for Rajiv Gandhi, all the others were his classmates). On completion of his education from a top-notch school in India, Kobad moved to London for his course of charted accountancy. However, Kobad's awakening to the consciousness of societal inequalities took place in London during charted accountancy course. The promising young man from India, Kobad, was subjected to racism. This lead Kobad on to the path of communism. After returning from London, he, along with Anuradha (his late wife), worked for the Dalits, tribals and the down-trodden in India. In the book, Kobad has recalled his introduction to Dr. Ambedkar's reading and realisation of the problems faced by the Dalits. Fascinatingly, he has also reflected upon some Dalit movements, including the Dalit Panther movement (1973-74) and the removal of the ban from Dr. Ambedkar's book Riddles in Hinduism. Also, the movement for renaming the Marathwada University as Ambedkar University to pay homage to Baba Saheb. These historical movements were for reclaiming the dignity and honour lost due to rampant discrimination. However, the atrocities on Dalits have continued. Incidents like the Khairlanjimassacre exposes the fault lines at which India stands. In the horrifying incident of Khairlanji, an entire Dalit family was brutally lynched by 50-60 upper-caste villagers. The mother and daughter were paraded naked in the village and were gang-raped. The corpses of the family members were callously thrown into a canal. Further, Kobad notes that the brutality emerged from the insecurity of the upper-caste from the economic independence and cultural awakening of the Dalit family in Khairlanji. This massacre affected Kobad, and he started devoting more of his time to the marginalised until he was arrested in Delhi. Tyranny of Tihar and the justice administration system After being arrested on the charges of being a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), Kobad was sent to Tihar jail as an undertrial. In this prison memoir, he recalls the despair state of Tihar. Far from rehabilitation and punishment, the jail was meant to break down a person. According to Kobad, he was 'stripped' and searched, his 'caste' was recorded. On his entry to Tihar, he was appalled to find out that his cell had a CCTV camera, where he was under surveillance round the clock. The chapter 'Life in Indian Prisons' notes the inhuman treatment of inmates and rampant corruption in Tihar. Kobad has blamed the deterioration of his health to the Indian prisons, especially Tihar. Further, he mentions the agonising of inmates, how they are denied even basic rights. Although Kobad had arthritis, he was not provided with a 'western toilet' in one such instance. This systematic apathy against prisoners and especially against political prisoners could be observed across various cases. In 2020, unreasonable delays were made to provide late Fr. Stan Swamy (83 years then), a Parkinson's patient, with a sipper and straw. In another similar incident, Gautam Navlakha (70 years old), an accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence of 2018, was denied spectacles. Only later, the jail authorities were pulled up the Bombay High Court (HC). Moreover, Kobad has discussed the 'Mulaqat' system. According to him, the system of mulaqat was made difficult by the staff and authorities. In Tihar, the 'booking' for mulaqat was made by phone. But, it was a tiresome process as the prison had only one telephone number for all the jails in the Tihar complex and 15,000 inmates then. It was followed by...

From Doon to Tihar: Notes from Fractured Freedom

Shaileshwar Yadav

Tags