New Delhi: A woman travel vlogger from Keralam, who has been touring Afghanistan alone and sharing videos from her trip, claimed on Monday that she was detained by the “Mujahideen” in Bamyan.
The vlogger, who uses the name ‘Backpacker Arunima’ on social media, posted an SOS message seeking help in contacting the Indian embassy. She said the incident occurred while she was travelling through Bamyan.
In a post on Facebook, Arunima shared what she described as a translation of an official message about her alleged detention. It read: “You were arrested by the Mujahideen just now because you do not have an official letter.”
“I am in trouble in Afghanistan. I am in Bamyan,” she wrote while asking for assistance.
Her post did not contain details about how she was allegedly detained or identify the people involve, as reported by India Today. Officials in Kabul and New Delhi also did not immediately provide any information about the reported incident.
Almost three hours after posting the SOS, Arunima said she had been allowed to leave following discussions with Taliban members. Later, in a detailed post, she described what she said had happened during the intervening period.
Permit Demanded
“According to the law of this country, a woman cannot travel alone,” the authorities in Bamyan told her, claiming that she had violated the law and would be arrested, the vlogger said.
She said the authorities treated her solo travel as an offence because she was a woman.
“The ‘crime’ I had committed was travelling alone as a woman in a country where women are not allowed to travel alone. A permit is required for every province. I hadn’t obtained those permits because they would not issue them to a woman travelling alone,” she explained.
Arunima said officials in Jalalabad had earlier refused to give her a permit for the same reason. She claimed she became extremely frightened after being told in Bamyan that she had broken the rules and could be arrested.
She then contacted a man who had previously helped her travel to Bamyan. According to her, he spoke to the authorities and tried to resolve the issue.
Arunima said the Mujahideen wanted her to obtain a permit and continue her journey with a guide. She claimed the authorities also asked her to pay a fine because she had stayed in Afghanistan for several days despite allegedly violating the rules.
“I told them that I was exiting this country and travelling to Uzbekistan. They said that because I had stayed in the country for so many days while violating the rules, I would have to pay a fine and that I would not be allowed to go anywhere unless I paid it.
“So I spoke to them and managed to settle the matter. They eventually told me that I could leave for the next country without a permit,” she added.
Vlogger Recounts Ordeal
Arunima said she had faced restrictions and repeated checks because she was travelling as a woman. She contrasted her experience with that of her male friends, who had travelled through Afghanistan without similar difficulties.
“I had to go through all of this simply because I am a woman. Many of my male friends have travelled through this country. None of them had any problems. Some of my female friends have travelled here too, but they all travelled either with a guide or alongside a man,” she continued.
Explaining how authority is exercised in the area, “Their decisions are their laws here. There is no police or prison or anything like that. The Taliban here, every person is a Taliban. That doesn’t mean everyone is a Taliban; there are many people here, but they are the ones who make the decisions.”
She added, “I held on to that man’s hands and feet and begged him, and that’s why they didn’t arrest me. For a few hours, I was literally going through hell. I was so tense and didn’t know what to do. I felt like I was about to die. I felt that something was going to happen to me.”
Arunima entered Afghanistan several weeks ago and has continued to post updates from her journey. She said she wore a purdah during most of her travels to make the trip easier and had been stopped and questioned by Taliban members several times.