The Wrongful Imprisonment of an Activist Indian Filmmaker

By ZP Heller, Brave New Films
Posted on August 8, 2008, Printed on December 10, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/http://bravenewfilms.org/94415/

Three months ago, Indian authorities arrested Ajay TG, the 35-year-old activist filmmaker who created films like this one entitled Aisa Kyon? (or Why?), on trumped up charges.  The police held Ajay prisoner in the central Indian state of Chattisgarh, claiming he had violated the Chattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA).  This anti-terrorism law, which went into effect in 2006 and bears a resemblance to our country's Patriot Act, criminalized political beliefs and associating with "banned" organizations.  But what exactly was Ajay's crime?

Ajay inadvertently carried a Swiss Army pocket knife in his backpack when he attended the trial of Dr. Binayak Sen, a well-known doctor and social worker in Chattisgargh.  Police on security detail apprehended Ajay and campaigned in the media that he was a terrorist threat. They further claimed Ajay had made "unlawful contact" with a Maoist organization, alleging Ajay wrote to the group asking them to return his camera after they robbed him years before.

Both the knife and the letter appear to have been red herrings.  They provided Indian police with more concrete grounds to arrest Ajay when what they were really concerned with was his affiliation with Dr. Sen.  Prior to his arrest, Ajay had been working on a documentary called Anjam, which portrayed Dr. Sen's life, work, and subsequent arrest. Police had arrested Dr. Sen in May 2007 under suspicion of being a Naxalite, or armed communist. 

Dr. Sen had worked for decades treating the adivasis, a term used to describe "the first people" or poor indigenous tribes of India.  He was the Chattisgarh general secretary of the India's human rights organization the People's Union for Civil Liberties (of which Ajay was also a member), but was accused of being linked to members of a banned Maoist group, primarily because Dr. Sen had publicly criticized the State's creation of armed vigilante groups to combat Maoists.  What Dr. Sen had actually done was call attention to the police involvement in the killings of 12 adivasis earlier that year and had opposed a State-sponsored vigilante army that had resulted in the killings of many innocents.

Anand Patwardhan, a documentary filmmaker based in India, explained Ajay's case.  "This was a form of intimidation of all those engaged in civil liberties work, and especially those who supported the wrongful incarceration of Dr. Binayak Sen," he told me.  "So i'm guessing they will keep trying to scare Ajay and family." 

It seems Indian authorities were bent on making an example of Ajay for bringing attention to Dr. Sen's trial.  They never filed a charge sheet within the mandatory 90-day period wihile Ajay was in prison.  As a result, they were forced two release Ajay two days ago on bail of 50,000 Rupees, or about $1,000.  But the ordeal for both Ajay and Dr. Sen continues.  

Ajay must report to local police stations on the second Monday of every month, and he cannot travel outside India without the court's permission.  And Dr. Sen remains in prison.  To be sure, Ajay and Dr. Sen are victims of a government that has done away with civil liberties out of the supposed "need" to combat terrorism.  Chances are, the Indian authorities are watching both Ajay and Dr. Sen's every move, monitoring phone calls and e-mail correspondence.  Sound familiar?  Hopefully, by drawing attention to the plight of these two activists, we can send the message that it is the international community that is watching the Indian authorities.

ZP Heller is the editorial director of Brave New Films. He has written for The American Prospect, AlterNet, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Huffington Post, covering everything from politics to pop culture.

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