Ajay TG : Released But Not Free

ENGAGED CIRCLE
interview

Filmmaker Ajay TG tells SHOBHITA NAITHANI it is important he speaks out, even if it means going back to jail

In May 2008, the Chhattisgarh police arrested freelance journalist and filmmaker Ajay TG in Raipur. The charges against Ajay: violating the provisions of the draconian Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005 (CSPSA) which allows the police to arrest anyone with political associations that dispute state policies. Ajay was released on conditional bail on August 5 after the police failed to file a charge sheet against him within the stipulated 90 days. After his release, the filmmaker spoke about his incarceration, his work and starting life afresh.

Now that you’re out of jail, do you feel free?
Not at all. The police haven’t closed the case against me yet. I don’t know what their next step will be. I have to think twice before I say something. I can be thrown back into jail if I make a statement that disconcerts the government or the police.

What was going through your head while you were in jail?
Why am I here? Till today, the police haven’t given me a reason for my arrest. Only when I was being taken to the court, an inspector murmured, ‘Aapne koi chitthi likhi hai jo aapka sar dard ban gayi hai.’ (A letter written by you is the source of this crisis). When I asked which letter, he flashed a piece of paper. In jail I was under constant supervision. Nobody would talk to me. Everyone would refer to me as a ‘naxali bandi’. I wasn’t even allowed to go for yoga or computer classes. When passing time became difficult, I started exercising to lose weight (laughs).

You were threatened and told not to travel to Delhi and worse not to speak to the media. Why did you take the risk?
The police said if I spoke to the media, it would be difficult for them to close the case against me. But if I don’t speak up, then I’m not doing justice to my profession as a filmmaker and journalist. Who will carry the voice of hundreds of other innocents who are in jail? I am not scared because I am certain the police will not find any evidence against me, unless they create it.

Are you surprised with the support of the Release Ajay TG Campaign and the impetus it gave your case?
Absolutely. I didn’t expect it. When the police raided my house in January, I began preparing my wife for my arrest. I made it clear that she should never think I would get the kind of support that Dr Binayak Sen has got. I am only a little known filmmaker. So why would anyone take up my case? But after my release I realized that there are still daring people in this world who are willing to fight for the rights of others. If that handful stopped raising their voice, the government and the police will sell this country.

Which letter are the police talking about? They claim you wrote to the Maoist spokesperson asking him to either return the camera you gave him or pay you.
By no means. If that’s the letter he’s referring to, I clearly remember that two months after the April 2004 incident when the Maoists confiscated my camera, a young boy came home and handed me a letter of apology by the central committee. It read: “Since your camera is buried in the village, there are chances it may be damaged. We could either pay you for it or buy you a new one. You must write down the details of the payment and send it back.” Being the state convener for Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), I replied on its letterhead that the camera would cost Rs 2.5 lakh. ‘Either give me my camera or the money.’ There wasn’t a word more.

When the police raided your house, you admitted to having written the letter. You also notified them of the circumstances which led to it. What was the police’s reaction?
They didn’t mention the letter till I asked the reason for the raid. One of them flashed a xerox copy of a letter written on the CACL letterhead. I didn’t know which letter it was. I assumed that they must have recovered the letter from the house of Prafull Jha (a social activist and freelance journalist arrested in January in Raipur for “alleged links to Naxals”). And since Jha was part of CACL, we had exchanged a few letters. But the police were paranoid. They had been raiding everyone’s house, following it with arrests.

Did you ever feel that the police, the government and the local media were trying to criminalise you? It began with the letter and ended with the Swiss knife found in your bag on the first day of Binayak Sen’s trial?
It wasn’t a Swiss knife. It was a tool kit. Even after the raid, I was sure nothing would go wrong because I am innocent. That’s why I didn’t apply for anticipatory bail. It all began with the local media terming me a “Naxal PRO” and then there was no stopping.

Describe to us the locale that a human rights activist in Chhattisgarh works in?
It’s tough and unexplainable. You’re caught between two extremes — the Naxals and the state. You’re walking the tightrope with the fear that you may fall on either side. And if you do, you’re doomed. There’s no middle path.

When do you think the conflict between the state and the people of Chhattisgarh will end?
Who wants it to end? Not the politicians and administration. There are heavy funds flowing into the state to solve the crisis. But it is in everyone’s interest to perpetuate it.

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 34, Dated Aug 30, 2008

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August 23, 2008 | Filed Under Press Reports 

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