Free but bitter

8216;8216;It is as if our release was an act of charity bequeathed by the government. Even Indian Embassy officials did not care to find out why we were arrested. We had to approach MDMK chief Vaiko to voice our problems. Soon, we got support from the state and Centre,8217;8217; he said, pushing the wheelchair of Ganesan Varadarajan, who hurt his leg in prison.

8216;8216;Every time they took us to court, they stripped us for physical examination. Would you believe it if we told you that we had to stay naked and wait for hours for if we ever decided to wash our clothes?8217;8217; said Vellusamy Elangovan. They had to be extraordinarily resourceful even to brush their teeth or bathe, for instance. Durairaj, an expert tattoo artist, painted tattoos on other prisoners in exchange for toothpaste and soap.