French film director Valentin Hénault was taken into custody in October of last year after he was accused of joining a Dalit march in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. According to Le Monde, he was freed on bail, but a lookout notice (LOC) against him prevented him from leaving India even six months after his release. Speaking on his experience, Hénault told The media that he found the hardest part of the process to be dealing with the moral anguish. the moral anguish is not knowing how long you will be imprisoned—it may be days or years. Additionally, it is technically presumed guilt, he stated. What went downOn August 10, 2023, Hénault landed in India to begin filming a movie about the horrors done to Dalit women. Before reaching Uttar Pradesh, he traveled via Bihar and Jharkhand. Hénault participated in a Ambedkars peoples march on October 10, 2023, when the demonstrators demanded land rights for Dalits under the leadership of peasant women. The report states that after a speaker at the podium who had previously spoken with him called his name to identify the presence of foreign observers, he was encircled by local intelligence officers. Hénault was taken to the police station that same day from his hotel room by police, although he was permitted to depart the venue following a few customary questions from the agents, according to Le Monde. According to reports, the police charged him with violation of visa conditions under Article 14b of the Foreign Act. This article stipulates that anyone found to have intentionally used a fake passport to enter India or to remain there without authorization from the authorities will be punished with a minimum two-year sentence, which may go up to eight years in prison.Visa troubleIn spite of the fact that the police claimed he had specified a reference contact in Dhanbad on his visa application and was not permitted to leave Jharkhand, the report states that the accusation is totally far-fetched, his e-business visa, valid for one year, does not include any geographical restrictions.According to Le Monde, Hénault was brought to a parking lot the day after his arrest, where a court signed the paperwork pertaining to it. After that, he was moved to Gorakhpur prison. We had so little room on the floor while we slept that it was impossible for us to turn around at night. Speaking about his jail sentence, Hénault was quoted by the French daily as stating, Bodies occupied the entire floor space.CM Yogis involvementThe leader of the Gorakhpur Mutt is Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He previously served five times as a member of parliament for the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency. He is renowned for acting as the areas all-knowing leader and advancing radical Hindutva ideas through governance and policy. He was sent to a cell designated for mentally disturbed people, according to the report. Le Monde cited Hénault as saying, There was physical violence to make them stay quiet, but it was a privilege to be there, because there was a little more space on the ground. Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, is the leader of the Gorakhpur Mutt. He is renowned for acting as the all-knowing leader of the area and advancing hardline Hindutva ideas through governance and policy. He formerly served as an MP for five terms in a row from the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency.Jail timeHe was sent to a mentally disturbed persons cell, according to the report. It was a joy to be there, because there was a little more space on the ground, but there was physical punishment to make them stay silent, Hénault was cited by Le Monde. On the first day, he was able to communicate with the French embassy while incarcerated. The embassy gave the lawyers contact information. An embassy representative visited him at the prison during the third week following his arrest. After his father paid him a visit and chose a new attorney, he was granted bail and freed on November 10, 2023.The police held Hénaults passport until May and the LOC against him was not lifted. It is now possible for him to go back to France. According to the article, the French embassy had told his family that the process was delayed due to elections during the ordeal. On May 4, Hénault finally departed India.
