JOIN US'Homeless' Japanese man desperate to get jailed in Bengaluru
A Japanese national, whose visa has expired and who is fighting a legal battle against the police, said he wants to become an inmate of the Central Prison in Bengaluru to avoid deportation and remain in India until his case is resolved.
In doing so, Hirotoshi Tanaka, 31, a psychology graduate and resident of Yaizu City in Japan, hatched a plan reminiscent of a O Henry short story “The Cop and the Anthem,” in which a homeless man commits a petty crime to reside in a prison.
Tanaka told DH that he is down to his last Rs 16 in hard cash, which leaves him unable to pay his hostel rent or buy medicine for insomnia and ADHD. He added that he believes he will receive the medication if jailed.
“I can’t live without medicine and I don’t think any victim of a crime here should leave India without taking action,” Tanaka said. In hopes of being arrested over the weekend, Tanaka said he stole a chair from the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police in RT Nagar.
Tanaka, who came to India in March 2019 to attend a course in English learning, was booked for assault later that year. He spent one night at RT Nagar police station and 19 days at Parappana Agrahara central prison. He was released from prison on December 11, 2019.
He subsequently claimed that he had been wrongfully imprisoned. He also accuses an RT Nagar police station sub-inspector (who has since retired) of corruption.
“I was imprisoned illegally without my medicine, prescription and other necessities like clothes, soap, towel and so on. Police jailed me just for money. Nothing was explained. I had never been arrested in Japan. Of course, I didn’t know my rights in India,” Tanaka claims.
However, the High Court rejected his case in November 2020, prompting Tanaka to next file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission (HRC). The HRC confirmed that the complaint is being processed and that the police are obligated to give a report on the matter by the end of March.
Catch-22 Situation
The case has created a legal Catch-22 situation. The police need to submit the report to HRC to close the matter. DCP North Dharmendar Kumar Meena said police have no intention of arresting Tanaka for his recent theft. However, Tanaka said he would commit more petty crimes until he is arrested. Moreover, if police move to deport him over his expired visa, it would prompt the HRC to escalate the complaint to “emergency status,” and to seek his release.
Police noted that Tanaka’s special exit permit provided by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) had expired on Sunday. As such, they said they were prepared to deport Tanaka if the Japanese Consulate paid for his plane ticket home. “However, there has not been much cooperation from them,” police said.
The Japanese Consulate issued a statement saying: “We are aware that Mr Tanaka is a Japanese national who is staying here. As the matter pertains to the individual himself, we would like to refrain from commenting.”