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On January 15, 2026, 32-year-old French author and film director Valentin Hnault published his memoir-based book “Javais un rêve indien. Dans l’enfer de la prison de Gorakhpur.” The direct English translation of this title is: “I Had an Indian Dream: In the Hell of Gorakhpur Prison.” In this book, he recounts his 2023 trip to India, which soon turned into a nightmare when he had to spend several months in prison after participating in a protest for Dalit rights. The book by film director Valentin Hnault is available online in French.French author and film director Valentin Hnault arrived in India on August 10, 2023, to make a documentary about atrocities against Dalit women. Before reaching Uttar Pradesh, he traveled through Bihar and Jharkhand. On October 10, 2023, he participated in the Ambedkar People’s March, led by women farmers demanding land rights for Dalits. A speaker mentioned his name from the stage while referring to the presence of international observers, after which he was allegedly surrounded by local intelligence officials. He was accused of illegally funding the protest.Police arrested him under Article 14(b) of the Foreigners Act for violating visa conditions and sent him to Gorakhpur jail. He was placed in a cell designated for mentally unstable prisoners. He was not allowed to leave the city for seven months and eventually departed India in May 2024.According to the prison conditions described in his book, he was kept in a barrack with 300 people, where there was neither space to sleep nor even to turn over. He witnessed people dying inside the prison, which deeply affected his mental health.
According to him, divisions based on caste and religion also existed inside the prison. Muslims were kept in separate barracks. Prisoners from higher castes lived in relatively better central areas, while those from lower castes were kept in dark sections near toilets. He wrote that many prisoners did not even know how long they would remain in jail because no dates had been set for their hearings or court appearances.The conditions of Gorakhpur jail described in Valentin Hnault’s book are only a glimpse of the overall situation of prisons in India. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Prison Statistics India 2023 report, as of December 31, 2023, there were a total of 530,333 prisoners in 1,332 jails across India, while their capacity was ony 439,000. This means the national occupancy rate averaged 120.8% (it was 131.4% in 2022). In Delhi prisons, this rate reached 200%, Uttarakhand 183%, Meghalaya 189%, Maharashtra 155%, and Uttar Pradesh 150%.The most alarming fact is that between 73.5% and 74% of prisoners are undertrials around 390,000 people awaiting court decisions. Among female prisoners, this ratio is also 74%. Twenty years ago (2005), the prison population was 360,000, which has now increased to 530,000, while capacity has only increased by 78%. The result: decades of persistent overcrowding.International reports and findings by human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have highlighted issues in Indian prisons, including a class system, dominance of “convict officers,” inadequate healthcare, food shortages, violence, and caste-based discrimination. Lower-caste prisoners are placed near toilets, while higher-caste inmates are given better spaces.According to the Global Torture Index 2025, in 2022 alone, 1,995 prisoners died in judicial custody, including 159 unnatural deaths.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reported 2,739 custodial deaths in 2024. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other UN experts have repeatedly warned that torture, inhumane treatment, and discrimination are widespread in police custody and prisons in India. India has not yet ratified the UN Convention Against Torture (UNCAT).The US State Department’s 2024 Human Rights Report also noted that over 75% of prisoners are pre-trial detainees and highlighted custodial deaths.In India, the Foreigners Act is often used to suppress foreign journalists, researchers, and human rights activists. Incidents involving accusations and arrests of innocent foreigners (such as Valentin Hnault, Vanessa Dougnac, Angad Singh, etc.) are part of this pattern. India is increasingly turning into a fortress where journalists aligned with the government narrative are welcomed, while independent researchers, journalists, and activists face intense scrutiny.Valentin Hnault’s book not only exposes the reality of Gorakhpur jail but also sheds light on the entire prison system in India at a global level.
Efforts to restrict independent research and reporting in order to conceal human rights violations have made India a hostile environment for foreign independent journalists and researchers.
