In January this year, Sharjeel Imam, a PhD scholar at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), completed five years behind bars. Meanwhile, his bail plea in the Delhi Riots (larger conspiracy) case has been pending in the Delhi High Court since 2022.
This case, registered under FIR 59 of 2020, books Imam and eighteen others, under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Since the beginning of his incarceration, much has been discussed about Imam in sections of national and international media.
However, in this exclusive interview, carried out in writing from across the bars that ensnare him at the Tihar Central Jail, the 37-year-old reflects on the passage of time in prison, the books he is reading, the inmates who have made his acquaintance, and the cats he has befriended. This he does, even as he longs to catch up with the world (he is intrigued by the developments in AI tech, and hopes to finish his PhD) and laments his mother’s suffering.
Kindly note, this interview has been sparsely edited, in order to allow Imam to tell his story in his own words, and to restore a sense of agency that the society and the state frequently deny its prisoners.
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.