BK-16 Prison Diaries: Rupali Jadhav travels ten hours for fleeting exchanges with Jyoti Jagtap

ILLUSTRATION BY ARUN FERREIRA FOR THE POLIS PROJECT

To mark six years of the arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of political dissidents in the Bhima Koregaon case, The Polis Project is publishing a series of writings by the BK-16, and their families, friends and partners. (Read the introduction to the series here.) By describing various aspects of the past six years, the series offers a glimpse into the BK-16’s lives inside prison, as well as the struggles of their loved ones outside. Each piece in the series is complemented by Arun Ferreira’s striking and evocative artwork. (This piece has been translated into English by Unnayan Kumar, read the original in Hindi here.)

This is the story of that day, when Jyoti was supposed to meet us, but did not show up. Two other members of Kabir Kala Manch, Ramesh and Sagar, had already been arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case, and the NIA had summoned Jyoti to Mumbai for questioning for the third time. The next day, on 8 September 2020, Jyoti was supposed to meet me and some of our sathis, or friends, at Sarasbaug in Pune. We waited for her for a long time. Her phone was unreachable. I became anxious because she is usually very punctual and disciplined, and I told the others that she never takes this long. Only after I started searching for her did I receive the call. “We are calling from Pune ATS. Jyoti Jagtap has been arrested. You can come here to collect her keys and belongings.” After making us wait for…


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Rupali Jadhav is an artist and activist who has been a member of Kabir Kala Manch since 2009. She sings and writes in Hindi, Marathi and English. In 2020, Rupali started a business of customised t-shirts, called Roots, to advance the social movement and spread political awareness.