Peaceful trip to the border turned out to be a nightmare: Held theatre artiste

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“I have travelled the country extensively and started this initiative of ‘Theatre at Borders’ inspired by the idea of invisible theatre developed by the Brazilian Augusto Boal. I had planned to go to Tanot on the Indo-Pak border, but learnt from locals that one needs a permit. When we went to the police station to get the requisite permission, I was detained for interrogation. I am an avid traveller, and always carry my laptop, external memory and other paraphernalia. On investigating these, the police found footage of a documentary I had shot in Jammu and Kashmir on the Tosa Maidan protests, and told reporters that I was a ‘serious suspect’. What would a suspect mean? A terrorist or a spy?” Akram told the Indian Express.

“What was meant to be a peaceful trip to the border turned out to be a nightmare for me. The police kept taking me from Ramgarh, 60 km from Jaisalmer, where I was first detained, to Jaisalmer town every day for interrogation at the joint interrogation centre in the CID office. They said they had sent a verification form back home but did not get a response, so they held me back for over a week. On the other hand, they called my brother over, all the way from Telangana. And all this on no substantive charges,” Akram added.

Akram was detained on the eve of Independence Day on charges of ‘suspicious activities’ and held back until local activists agitated and approached the administration for help. He was released on a bail bond furnished by his brother Alam.

SP Jaisalmer Rajiv Pachar rejected the allegation of illegal detention, saying various intelligence agencies had interrogated Akram during that time. He said that a central interrogation was pending against him and that he would be held in Jaipur. “Whenever central agencies would require him, he would be called,” Pachar said.