It is 23 July 2016 today. Exactly six months ago, officers of the Central Criminal Investigation Division landed at my father’s place with a search warrant with no reason stated for the search. They seized my laptops, my brother’s PC, my mother’s laptop and several other storage devices. Hours later they arrested me & detained me under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PoTA); while no officer showed any evidence to support the “doubt” of the police.

I was provisionally charged under the PoTA. Although the “provisional charge” is a controversial practice of the Mauritius Police; it is to be used when the police has reasonable doubt. Did they have any? They never showed any evidence at any moment, not even in court. Although on TV a high official of the Police Force shamelessly claimed that police won’t detain someone without evidence and that it was an early stage to divulge the information; the stage of revealing information did not even come after six months.

I was detained and deprived of my freedom, my liberty as a free citizen, separated from my family for ten days. Charges against me were struck out weeks later. Touria Prayag, in her book entitled « Provisional Charge - the untold human stories » relate those ten days I spent in police custody.

Today, after six months have passed, police still did not reveal any information that pushed them to have « reasonable doubt » in order to deprive me of my rights and brand me as a dangerous criminal.

Did the Police of Mauritius murder people?

Today, after six months, police still have not returned me my laptops, neither those of my brother and mother. When a letter was sent requesting the same, the reply was that their investigation is not over. Sorry to say, but a Police Force that allows people to be murdered in their custody, if in six months they could not solve the case of an email source; then I must say their incompetence is gross, shameless and most probably they might also be corrupt.

It is also regretful that self-proclaimed saviours of the country, calling themselves party leaders allow such incompetence to go un-punishable.

Six months, and they still keep my laptops in their custody...

Today, after six months have passed, I still feel the mental torture that the incompetence of police is causing by the extended custody of my devices; those devices that allowed me to continue researching, practising, gaining on the skills needed for my day-to-day job.

In a country where most of the politicians would boast of equality, I can see the gap where the less powerful (politically) have to endure the difficulties brought upon by the gross blunders of officers, while the more powerful, no matter how corrupt, they are allowed to roam freely.