Have you seen Hansal Mehta’s series based on his traumatic experience in jail? How closely were you involved with the series?
I haven’t seen the whole series yet. From what I have seen, I am really amazed that Hansal Mehta has adapted my book Behind Bars in Byculla. It will definitely be an eye opener and it will be relevant to many women like me who are struggling in a male dominated field.
What did you think of Karishma Tanna portraying a character based on you?
Whatever I have seen, Karishma has done a fabulous job. She is quite similar to me.
After watching the series, many would like to know why you were chosen as a scapegoat in the J Day massacre?
Twelve years later, believe me, this question still haunts me. I also want to know, why me! In the initial days of the jail, I kept thinking what wrong I had done to be here, but gradually I accepted the situation.
One can only imagine the pain and trauma you must have gone through. Where did you find the strength to carry on in your worst times?
Faith in God, my family and karma. If you read my book, I wrote that I used to chant Hanuman Chalisa Maybe 300 to 400 times a day. It gave me a lot of strength and yes, I have seen miracles too.
The series shows almost all of your media colleagues, except for your incredibly helpful editor, turning against you. What do you have to say about the lack of solidarity within your fraternity?
Yes, it hurts more that the media has not spared me either. Ideally this question should be asked to the media.
You had a very supportive family but a really unfaithful boy friend. Was this time the true test of who your real well-wishers were? How did you deal with the betrayal?
It is said that difficult situations show the real face. So in the last twelve years I came to know many real faces. The list of betrayals is long… people tried to take advantage of the situation and my vulnerability. People said they were like family and they backstabbed me, took advantage of my life. I remember once during my reporting days, a senior IPS officer told me, ‘Jigna, all vultures are here.’ And I experienced that first hand. I’ve learned my lessons the hard way.
Now that you’ve got that freedom again, what are you doing with it? Has the treatment and rehabilitation been difficult?
What freedom are you talking about? I was acquitted in 2018. Yet, I live in constant fear, no job in hand, every day a constant struggle… a struggle with myself. Yes, I have cured myself to a great extent by doing Vipassana and meditation. I have forgiven many people.
What is your advice to all the journalists who cross the border in search of a scoop?
I think today’s journalists are wiser. They know very well what they have to do.
After all, your struggle and victory in proving yourself innocent is very inspiring. What do you say about the thousands of undertrials who are languishing in jail for crimes they never committed?
Everyone under trial has a backstory. We as a society should try to understand this and help them by counseling them to channelize their destructive energies in positive ways. Even now, if I apply for a job, I am told that HR has a policy that they cannot hire someone with a criminal record. Where does one go? what does one do? I was fortunate that my family was there to take care of me and my son financially and mentally. He stood by me like a rock. As a society, we should have various reformatory programs for undertrial prisoners.