In April 2020, scholar, writer, and civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde was arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case and charged under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). 

After serving 31 months in Taloja Central Jail, he was released on bail in November 2022. During his time in jail, he wrote The Cell and the Soul: A Prison Memoir – an in-depth account about his experiences in jail, which included surviving COVID and the failures of the justice system.  

Teltumbde sat down with Nidhi Suresh to discuss his book, his experiences in jail, the discourse around ‘Urban Naxal’, the cruelty of the state, caste, criticisms of the Ambedkarite movement, his family, the loss of Father Stan Swamy, and the inequities of the Indian justice system.   

He said: “Prison counts as something like a rupture in your life, that happens in the life of anybody who never expected to go to prison and still had it. So, it took time to adjust to normal life outside, but outside, it is not unlike prison conditions," adding that while going to prison, he thought he may not come out alive.

One of the most powerful lines in the book is when Teltumbde writes, “The most painful part about being arrested is the complete loss of control over yourself.” Despite this, he asserts what Nidhi calls a "small moment of agency", where he is asked about his caste, and he tells the authorities to write down 'Muslim'. 

During the course of this conversation, Teltumbde describes the conditions in prison, including an anecdote about his request for a ‘Western-style’ toilet – maintaining a sense of humour even while suffering from serious ailments. 

Nidhi asks Teltumbde whether he had heard the term ‘Urban Naxal’ before the Bhima Koregaon case, which became a major “test case” for how the state labelled the accused. He says he read Vivek Agnihotri’s book, calling his characterisation of 'Urban Naxals' as B-school professors "indoctrinating" students about "anti-establishment things" as “unrealistic”.

But the right-wing establishment, including the prime minister, “picked up” the term, Teltumbde explains, adding that ‘Urban Naxal’ is itself an oxymoron. According to him, it was coined to construct a narrative portraying "well-established" individuals – often seen as progressive – as "working for Maoists in the jungles". When the media repeatedly amplifies this narrative, he adds, it eventually gains public acceptance.

While Teltumbde has many criticisms of the political establishment, he isn't afraid to criticise the Ambedkarite movement as well. In his book, he writes, "Ambedkarites are often enraged by any perceived disrespect to Ambedkar's status, but are seldom provoked by the killings and rapes of their own people." 

Speaking to Nidhi, he describes how his time in prison allowed him to reflect more closely on issues within the movement, noting that "it is a disturbing thing in the Ambedkeraite movement that people do not get shaken by the atrocities that happen day in and day out to their people." 

Reflecting on the loss of Father Stan Swamy, who fought on behalf of tribal youths in central India accused of being Maoists (something the state later accused him of), Teltumbde says, “It exposes the dirty face of the state.” 

Swamy, who was in his 80s when the NIA arrested him in October 2020, was denied bail multiple times despite suffering from Parkinson's disease and a host of other illnesses. His request for a straw and a sipper to a special court because he couldn't hold a glass due to Parkinson's was also denied. He died in July 2021, ahead of his bail hearing in the Bombay High Court, after he tested positive for COVID-19. In December 2022, the Washington Post reported that hackers had planted evidence on his computer.

Despite being out on bail, Teltumbde has not been afraid to write regular columns for publications like The Wire, fearlessly covering a host of subjects, including caste, politics, economics, and even policing.  

When asked whether he believes in the abolishment of the prison system, he tells Nidhi, “If you go to prison, there is nothing. You are treated as an object, a criminal or a danger to society. This is the way even society looks at you.”

Watch.