Transcript of a telephone conversation last week between the author and two boys from Kalanki who were picked up by police on Friday morning at 11:30 while they were buying vegetables. The family employing the boys went to the top echelons of police to have them released. The actual names of the boys have been altered.

"Hello, can you tell me your name"?
"My name is Ram."

"Your friend's name?"
"Hari."

"I understand the police took you and your friend to the police station yesterday..."
"Yes, they did."

"When did they arrest you and then let you go?"
"They took us to the police station around 11:30 a.m. yesterday and let us go around three-thirty p.m. today."

"Can you tell me how they arrested you? What were you doing?"
"Hari and I were going to buy vegetables for the house. A police van pulled up and one of the policemen said to us,'A friend has called you' and bundled us in and took us to the police station."

"Did you say anything?"
"No one said anything."

"How many of you were there at the station?"
"Oh, twenty or twenty one of us..."

"Young and old? Any girls?"
"Most of us were young, between 18 and 22 years of age; there were one or two older men, around 40 years old. There were no girls."

"And none of you said anything or asked why you had been brought there?"
"No. None of us could say anything to the police. The police said they'd beat us if we talked. So no one dared say anything."

"Did you find out how the other young men had been brought to the police station?"
"Some of them had been told what we were told: that a friend was waiting for them at the police station; but some others had been asked if they wanted to join the police force..."

"What kind of boys were there? Tough ones? Local hoodlums, you think?"
"Oh, no. Just regular boys. Nobody tough...just normal fellows."

"Were you all in one single room or in separate rooms? Was there anything to sit on, or did you remain standing all night?
"We were all in one room. There was nothing to sit on. No chairs or benches. It was a cemented floor. There was one straw mat in the room."

"What if you wanted to go to the bathroom?"
"There was a bucket in the room to pee..."

"And what if you had to more than just pee?"
"A police escorted us to a bathroom outside."

"Did they feed you?"
"Oh, no. They said we had to buy our food. Nobody ate, so no one went to the bathroom."

"How did you sleep? Standing up or on the floor?"
"We all slept on the floor, all piled on top of each other. Feet resting on other people's heads..."

"Were there more of you at night than when you were first brought in?"
"A few more were brought in, but no more that 23 or 25 of us total..."

"So what did they say when they let you go in the morning?"
"Nothing really. I was told not to keep my hair long, to cut it and keep it short."

"Did the others have long hair?"
"No..."

"Were there any with shaved heads?"
"Yes, quite a few, and Hari had an earring."

"So when they let you go, all they said was to cut your hair?"
"Yes. And we were let go because the family we work for know important people. That's why we were let go early. There were still people in the police station when we left."

"Did the police take down your name?"
"Yes, they did."

Later, I called the police station where Ram and Hari had been held. A police officer answered and very politely answered my queries.

"Officer, is it true that the police has been taking into custody young men in our neighbourhood?"
"Yes, sir, that is true."

"And why is that?"
"Well, sir, in the past few days, the situation in our city has been quite delicate, so we've been bringing in young men who appear to be troublemakers..."

"Is it still going on?"
"Well, sir, it's going to depend upon the situation. Today has been quiet. Nobody has been arrested."

"There were a few arrests yesterday, is that right?"

"Yes, sir. But they've all been released with warnings. To not to think about causing trouble. Given the situation in the city these days, sir, we're bringing in those kinds of young men who have earring, long hair, those who look suspicious. But today, there is no one here."

"Tell me, officer, is this happening only in our neighbourhood or all over the city?"
"All over the city, sir."

"So you have the right to arrest anyone you feel looks suspicious and just might cause trouble?"
"That is right, sir."

"And who gave you this order, officer?"
"From above, sir?"

"The police headquarters? the ministry?"
"Yes, sir, from above...and who are you, sir?

"I live in the neighbourhood."
"I see, sir."

"Well, officer, thank you very much. You've been most helpful."
"Thank you, sir."