Taliban detained Kerala woman on solo Afghanistan trip. She narrates ordeal - The Indian Express

Indian solo traveller Arunima I P, alias Backpacker Arunima, sparked concern after posting a distress message on social media on Monday, claiming that she had been detained by the Taliban during her ongoing trip to Afghanistan. Arunima, who had sought the help of the Indian Embassy, however, said on Tuesday that she was safe.

A native of Ottapalam in Kerala’s Palakkad, Arunima had shared a video on her YouTube channel on Monday saying that she was detained by Taliban as they do not allow women travelling alone in Afghanistan. She had also put out a message stating: “Please help me connect to the Indian embassy.’’ However, on Tuesday morning, she wrote: “I am safe.’’

Arunima, who reached Afghanistan last month and had since been travelling alone, said her trip in the country has been attracting crowds everywhere as women were not seen at public places there.

In the YouTube video, she said people who had waylaid her could not read her travel documents and were advising her against travelling alone. She said they were insisting on a special permit to cross every province in Afghanistan.

“I spent several hours in tension that I felt I could have died. I was completely terrified. In the evening (on Monday), I hitchhiked on a truck and reached Bamyan. The very moment I got down from the vehicle, people started coming towards me because a woman would not normally be alone in Afghanistan at night,” she is heard saying in the video. “They were not ready to leave me alone to decide on where I should stay the night… They asked me to show my documents. I showed them my passport and visa. According to the law of this country, a woman cannot travel alone,” she added.

She said she had tried to convince the local authorities that she had been travelling alone all these days, ever since she started the Afghan journey on August 27. “According to their law, I had violated the rules. They told me that they were going to arrest me. Here, every Taliban member is like a police officer. They can do whatever they want. I asked them to deport me. They said I had violated the law and that they would arrest me. What was my crime? I had travelled alone as a woman in a country where women are not allowed to travel alone.’’

Referring to her days in Afghanistan, the solo woman traveller said local authorities in Jalalabad did not issue the permit on the ground that a woman cannot travel alone. “I repeatedly asked them to give me the permit, but they said they could not issue one without a man accompanying me, or I would have to travel with a guide,” Arunima said.

Arunima said she would now be leaving for Uzbekistan, which is 500 km away, and raised concern over crossing the checkposts en route.

Arunima has been exploring the world for the last six years. She had covered the entire breadth of the country in one-and-a half-years before moving to other countries. On her social media pages, she introduces herself as “solo traveler exploring the world for 6 years, hitchhiking through wild, risky, and forgotten routes, sharing real stories from the planet’s least-explored places.”

She wrote, “I’m deeply passionate about traveling alone. Solo journeys give me exciting experiences, freedom, and a deeper connection with myself.’’

In earlier media interviews, the young traveller had stated that she had charted out a different trajectory in life after completing Class 12. Arunima, who said she loved travelling from childhood, had done sundry jobs before venturing out as a full time solo traveller in 2020. She has around 1.2 million followers on Instagram and 731K subscribers on YouTube.

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More