Prison Notes from Sharjeel Imam: On Incarceration, Communalisation and Shaheen Bagh
Sharjeel Imam | 04 December 2024 | Maktoob Media
I have already spent nearly four years in jail, and while I did anticipate being imprisoned on trumped-up charges due to my involvement in Shaheen Bagh, I had mentally prepared myself for it. As Ghalib wrote, “ḳhana-zad-e-zulf hain zanjir se bhagenge kyuun hain giraftar-e-wafa zindan se ghabaravenge kya” (“Why should the prisoner fear the chains of loyalty, when those bound by love run from them?”).
What I did not expect, however, was to be accused of “terrorism,” especially for riots that occurred a month after my arrest. This speaks to the lengths the current regime will go to to suppress dissent and keep people like me behind bars. Majaz captured this sentiment well in his verse: “hadein wo kheinch rakhi hain haram ke pasbano ne Ke bin mujrim bane paighaam bhi pahuncha nahi skta.” (“The guardians of the holy have drawn lines so strict that no message can pass without making a criminal out of the messenger”)…