It has been over four years since Sharjeel Imam, a PhD scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi was arrested by the Delhi Police in January 2020, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Imam, who was active in the organisation of the Shaheen Bagh movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Registry of Citizens (NRC) in the winter of 2019, is currently in Tihar jail for alleged inflammatory speeches he made as part of the protests.
In addition, he is also among the many student leaders, scholars and activists who remain in jail as part of the Delhi Riots (larger conspiracy) case of 2020.
Writing about his daily life in an opinion piece published by Maktoob, Imam says that his time in prison is largely uneventful but introspective. He says that he spends most of his time reading books and newspapers in his prison cell, and occasionally walking within his block.
His tiny cell has space for basic amenities – a toilet in one corner, some clothes, books, and utensils, and a corner of the room for study, he writes.
Academic pursuits in prison
Imam further adds that during his time in prison, he has read and reread hundreds of books, which he categorises as follows:
History: European, South Asian, and Islamic histories, including works by Eric Hobsbawm and Partha Sarthi Gupta.
German Literature: He revisited Franz Kafka and Nietzsche, with Kafka’s The Trial being particularly poignant, and dedicated time to improve his German proficiency.
Science and Philosophy: Imam deepened his understanding of quantum physics, relativity, and philosophy, revisiting works from his days at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.
Islamic Studies and Mysticism: This includes Iqbal’s Persian poetry and works by Ali Shariati, exploring themes of revolutionary monotheism versus elite materialism.
Fiction: He delved into works by Saadat Hasan Manto, Munshi Premchand, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Elif Shafak, Amitav Ghosh, and Arundhati Roy.
Imam adds that he was not able to work on his PhD, whose thesis was approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2019 prior to his arrest.
As a lot of his research material is stored across his electronic devices confiscated by the police, he finds working on his dissertation challenging. But he says that he is able to work with whatever secondary research he can get his hands on.
Talking more about his PhD topic, “Communal Riots and Cow Slaughter in Early 20th Century Colonial India”, he says that he chose the topic as communal riots is one of the most important entry points to discussions around the Partition of India and Pakistan.
“For Muslims specifically, who were and are a minority in most of colonial India, the mobilization in the name of “cow protection” since the late 19th Century posed a major threat to Muslims and especially on the eve of their most important festival (Bakr-Eid),” he writes.
Reflections on family and society
Imam says that he anticipated his arrest on “trumped-up charges” due to his participation in the Shaheen Bagh movement, but did not expect to be charged with terrorism, for riots that took place a month after his incarceration.
“This speaks to the lengths the current regime will go to to suppress dissent and keep people like me behind bars,” he writes.
The only anguish he has from his “prolonged and unnecessary incarceration”, he writes, is the pain his mother must be experiencing.
He says, “My father passed away nine years ago, and since then, it has just been me and my younger brother to support her.”
He finds the strength and resilience to face incarceration by thinking of Iranian revolutionary Ali Shariati and his famous prayer, “O God, grant me strength to change what I can change, and accept what I cannot.”
Reflecting on the Shaheen Bagh protests, Imam regards the movement as a milestone in Indian history. He credits the movement’s success to the leadership of educated Muslim youth from institutions like JNU, IITs, and Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi. Imam details the early days of the movement, marked by efforts to overcome challenges like rogue elements, adverse weather, and resistance from various quarters.
Lauding the role women played during the movement, Imam says that they took centre stage, and were instrumental in creating safe spaces at the protest site.
