Kerala vlogger Arunima says ‘Mujahideen’ arrested her in Afghanistan, later says ‘I am safe’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Kerala vlogger Arunima says ‘Mujahideen’ arrested her in Afghanistan, later says ‘I am safe’")
Kerala vlogger Arunima Photograph: (X)
Kerala vlogger Backpacker Arunima raised alarm after claiming she was arrested by “Mujahideen” in Afghanistan’s Bamyan before later saying she was safe.
Keralite woman vlogger Arunima I P, popularly known as Backpacker Arunima, triggered alarm after posting a distress message claiming to have been “arrested” by the "Mujahideen" in Afghanistan's Bamyan, during her ongoing trip. Arunima, who had sought the help of the Indian Embassy on Monday: “Please help me connect to the Indian embassy," on Tuesday morning, she posted: “I am safe.’’
What happened during her journey?
Arunima, a native of Ottapalam in Kerala’s Palakkad, said that she was travelling alone after reaching Afghanistan last month from Tajikistan. She claimed that it attracted crowds everywhere, as women were not seen alone in public places. She said that she hitchhiked on a truck to Bamyan. The moment she got down from the vehicle, people started to flock around her.
“They were not ready to leave me alone to decide where I should stay the night… They asked me to show my documents. I showed them my passport and visa. According to the law of this country, a woman cannot travel alone,” she added.
"A few days ago, I had gone to Jalalabad to get a permit, but they did not give me one because they said a woman cannot travel alone. I requested them many times to give me the permit. They told me that they could not issue it without a man accompanying me, or that I would have to travel with a guide,” the vlogger wrote on Facebook
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She said that she tried to convince the local authorities that she was travelling alone, but they refused to let her go.
“According to their law, I had violated the rules. They told me that they were going to arrest me. Here, every Taliban member is like a police officer. They can do whatever they want. I asked them to deport me. They said I had violated the law and that they would arrest me. What was my crime? I had travelled alone as a woman in a country where women are not allowed to travel alone.’’
Terrified of getting arrested, she sent a distress message. But later she negotiated with the help of a local contact who spoke to the officials on her behalf. After a few hours of tension, she was allowed to pass without paying the requested penalties, provided she immediately exited toward the Uzbekistan border.
