‘In trouble in Afghanistan’: Kerala vlogger claims arrest by ‘Mujahideen’, later issues clarification

A popular Keralite woman vlogger claimed to have been "arrested" by the "Mujahideen" in Afghanistan's Bamyan, only to later clarify that local authorities had threatened to arrest her.

She cited a law that requires women to travel with a male companion or guide, adding that she had earlier been denied a permit in Jalalabad because she was travelling alone.

The vlogger runs the Facebook page Backpacker Arunima and according to the account, she has been travelling in Afghanistan.

“According to the rules here, a woman is not allowed to travel alone. Whether she is a woman from this country or a foreign woman, the rule is the same. A few days ago, I had gone to Jalalabad to get a permit, but they did not give me one because they said a woman cannot travel alone. I requested them many times to give me the permit. They told me that they could not issue it without a man accompanying me, or that I would have to travel with a guide,” the vlogger wrote on Facebook.

HT couldn't independently verify her claims and there was no reaction from the Afghanistan government or any officials at the time of writing this report.

Narrating the ordeal, she said that she reached Bamyan at around 7 pm, where people started approaching her and asking for her visa and passport, seeing that she was alone.

“The moment she got out of the vehicle, people started approaching her, as women would not normally be outside alone at night under the rules there. They asked to see her visa and passport, which she showed them. They then asked where she was staying. She told them that she had not decided yet and would find a safe place to stay. However, they were not willing to leave her alone.”

Recalling her experience, Arunima said her hands and legs started shaking when she was told that she had violated the law and was going to be arrested. She added that she tried communicating with them through Google Translate and even told them to deport her.

“According to their rules, I had violated the law. Then they told me that they were going to arrest me. I immediately informed my boyfriend about what was happening. My hands and legs started shaking. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. At the same time, I was still trying to communicate with them through Google Translate. I asked them to deport me. They told me that I had violated the rules and that they would arrest me.”

The vlogger said she then contacted the man who helped her reach Bamyan, who later arrived and helped her navigate the situation, adding that the reason she had not obtained permits for each province was that they were not issued to her as she was travelling “without a man”.

“My ‘crime’ was simply that I had travelled alone as a woman in a country where women are not allowed to travel alone. I also had not obtained the required permits for each province because they would not issue those permits to me without a man or a guide.”

“The person who had brought me here had already left, but he had taken my phone number. I immediately contacted him and told him what was happening. He said he was a little far away but would come as quickly as possible.