THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The prisons department has barred religious outfits from conducting rituals and classes for the inmates on the jail premises, the Association of Christian Trust Services (ACTS), an umbrella body of various Christian factions, has alleged.
According to ACTS, a circular issued by Prisons Director General Balram Kumar Upadhyay said instead of conducting moral classes for the inmates, the department should focus on conducting motivation classes. Balram dismissed the allegation.
Until now, religious organisations conducted classes and held worship in prisons saying they were imparting moral lessons to prisoners. Sources in the department said around 20 outfits had the permission to conduct such classes. Of them, 15 were Christian outfits, while the rest were Muslim and Hindu groups. However, many of them did not apply for yearly renewal of permission and continued to hold events, the sources said, adding that there has been an increase in the number of outfits applying for conducting religious events.
ACTS general secretary George Sebastian said the department’s decision could be termed “infringement of rights of the minorities.”
“It’s regrettable that those condemning similar acts in northern states are doing it here,” he said in a veiled reference to the CPM as the department comes under the chief minister.
Meanwhile, Balram Kumar denied banning religious groups from working among prisoners. “No such restriction has been placed. We made it clear that apart from moral lessons, prisoners should be given motivation lessons. For that we are planning to find people from humble backgrounds who achieved success in life,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council said the government has given permission to hold religious activities and prayers in prisons on Thursday, in connection with Maundy Thursday. In a statement issued here, the KCBC spokesperson said the government issued the nod after KCBC president Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholica Bava held talks with the chief minister twice over phone.