REPORT FROM SOJOURNER FREE — INCREDIBLE INDIA
by Jeff Knaebel, 1 July 2009-07-01

In an act of civil disobedience of both US and Indian law, on 19 June 2009 at the Gandhi Samadhi (tomb), Rajghat, New Delhi, I renounced my US citizenship by written and spoken Declaration along with tearing up my passport and placing the shreds upon the Samadhi.

This action was filmed by freelance journalists and a local TV station called Total TV.  These videos and my written Declaration of Renunciation and Severance — along with its separate document describing foundation ethical precepts — have been posted to You Tube, various websites, and international news feeds.

Now into my 71st year of this life, by these actions have I become an “illegal” human being in the eyes of all governments.  Standing beside the Gandhi Samadhi — chosen with the deepest respect and honor for the great man who symbolizes for all mankind resistance to violent and corrupt governments — I read out my three page Declaration of Renunciation to the public assembled there, and in the presence of security personnel and police until they physically ejected me from the Samadhi.

I continued reading from just outside the Samadhi until finished, handed out my Declaration to those who asked, and then sat down cross-legged on the Samadhi walkway.

I determined to remain the night within the Rajghat compound.  Soon after closing time at 1930 hrs, police personnel began to lift and carry me physically toward the main gate.  Upon the police stating that they were taking me to a police van for arrest — which was my tactical objective — I decided that it would be unseemly to carry on with physical resistance in such a sacred place, and indicated that they no longer had to carry me.

The police escorted me out of the west gate of the Rajghat park and onto the main street adjacent.  They said in broken English that a van would be coming to take me away.  After a long time the wire cage van appeared and several police personnel under the leadership of a female officer disembarked.  Following a lengthy discussion in Hindi which I could not understand, the van drove away and the remaining police officers escorted me across the street to their senior.

This next higher senior man interrogated me and I explained what I had done and why.  He asked my hotel address and room number which I supplied.  He read my Declaration and smilingly approved, “I agree with you.”

He asked, “What do you want?”  I replied, “It is not what I want, but what is your duty.  I have studied the law, and it is your duty to arrest me.”

Looking me up and down and then squarely in the eye, he said, “Jail is for criminals.  You are not a criminal.  You have committed a violation, but not an offense.  I will not arrest you.  We will escort you to the S.O. (Supervising Officer) at Darya Ganj thana, and you will speak with him.”

I was questioned by the S.O. at the Darya Ganj thana, Sri Jagbir Singh.  He presented himself as a highly intelligent, educated and articulate individual with complete fluency of English.  He asked what I had done, and I explained in detail.

He read my Declaration slowly and thoroughly.  With a verbal expression of approval and appreciation, he handed it back, saying “I will not arrest you.  You are not a criminal.  You are now a free man and you may move about India anywhere as you wish.  Now go back to your hotel.”

I protested, saying, “I have made inquiry of very senior expert advocates, I have had private interview with the Indian High Commissioner of Human Rights, have spoken in depth with the UN High Commissioner of Refugees, and have been informed of case histories of disobedient passport renunciation in which foreigners were jailed by the Indian authorities.  It is your duty to arrest me, sir.”

“I will not arrest you.  Please return to your hotel.  You are a free man.”

“Sir, that is easy for you to say, but the reality for me on the street is different.  Without passport and Form C, I cannot obtain accommodation anywhere.  Traveling in India cannot be done without hotel accommodation.  Expecting to be jailed for a long time, I have donated all of my life savings and I have very little money.  I will soon be like a beggar on the street.”

“India will take care of you.  You will be alright. You are free to move anywhere in India.  If you encounter any trouble, dial 100 and we will help you.  I will not arrest you.”

“Sir, will you please put that in writing on your official letterhead so that I may be protected when I leave here?”

“No, I will not put it in writing.  But we will help you.  Now please go to your hotel.”

I departed to my hotel, where I had a small credit balance but with insufficient funds to pay for checking out next morning…

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In closing this first segment of a story hopefully to be continued as events unfold, I wish to express astonished gratitude for the courtesy, kindness, compassion, intelligence and understanding of the New Delhi police at all levels of this encounter.  Rather than following blindly the black letter of the law, they treated me as a fellow human being.

This is far, far away from the treatment meted to its own ordinary traveling citizens within its own borders by the US Department of Homeland Security — leave aside activist human rights protestors.

A civilization can be measured by the things it does not do.  Civilization does not hurt, kill, destroy.

May you live long, live free,

Jeff Knaebel, former US citizen, now sovereign individual — albeit without a roof.

To be continued… (maybe)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 9:48 pm and is filed under Field Reports, Satyagrahi's Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.