VELLORE: For the last three years, the mosque inside the Vellore Central Jail has remained out of bounds for the Muslim inmates of the jail. Though there are no known instances of misuse by the inmates, prison authorities have kept the mosque, a room that can accommodate around 30 people at a time, closed even on auspicious days like Ramzan, forcing inmates to offer prayers in their prison cells.
The prison campus has a church, two Hindu temples, and the mosque. All places of worship on the campus were shut in 2021 as part of Covid control measures, but after the restrictions were removed, authorities reopened the church and temples but not the mosque. Sources said the prison currently has 20 to 30 Muslim convicts in ordinary block and 5 to 10 in high-security block.
“I have been incarcerated in the prison for the past four years. The mosque has been off-limits for three years. We are not even permitted to offer Friday prayers inside the mosque,” a Muslim inmate said. Intelligence and vigilance staff have denied Muslim prisoners access to the mosque, he said.
“Vigilance authorities claim that allowing mass prayers could lead to unwanted influence and radicalisation. Authorities say that Muslim inmates may propagate terrorist ideas in the prison,” said a Muslim inmate. “We have repeatedly protested against the closure of the mosque. Whenever we seek permission to pray, vigilance staffs ask us to pray within our cells,” he said.
Inmates also complain about lack of facilities for ablution, the ritual washing of hands and feet before prayer, which is an integral part of Islamic worship. Typically, mosques have dedicated areas for this, but Muslim inmates in Vellore are deprived of such facilities.
“When we request water for ablution, authorities tell us to use the water from the toilet in our cells,” said another prisoner. Inmates also claim they are prohibited from wearing a skullcap. In April 2023, during the month of Ramzan, prison authorities opened the mosque after three years and cleaned it. But they locked it again after cleaning. Despite Muslim prisoners’ requests, authorities have refused to permit mass prayers inside the mosque during the Muslim holy month, and instead instructed them to use the prison playground. Their request for an imam was also denied, sources said.
“Not all of us are proficient in Quran, so we rely on an imam. Being denied access to imam was distressing,” said a former inmate. Muslim prisoners are also subjected to physical threats if they venture too close to the mosque. “Once, after I approached the mosque casually, prison authorities started assaulting me. I was also made to undergo a body check,” the former inmate said.
Meanwhile, when people sought clarification regarding the mosque’s closure, authorities said the mosque had been closed since last Ramzan due to security concerns. They cited the presence of a switchboard within the mosque which they said was being used by Muslim prisoners for charging mobile phones and other unauthorised activities. But inmates rejected the allegation. “Vigilance staffers used to stand near the mosque. So, it’s not possible for an inmate to use the switchboard. If any Muslim prisoner tries to use it, the inmate and all the others will be in trouble,” a Muslim prisoner said.
In August 2023, a Muslim inmate submitted a petition to the Vellore Prison DIG and Additional Superintendent of Police requesting permission to pray inside the mosque. But till date, no action has been taken on the petition, sources said.
Attempts by inmates to voice their grievances to higher officials have been met with resistance from prison staff. Inmates who try to convey their issues to the DIG or other senior officials are intercepted and questioned by personnel, and sent back to their cells.
The prison also lacks a functional complaint box thus limiting the options available for the inmates to convey their grievances. Human rights advocate Henry Tiphange said, “While security measures in prison are necessary, there are ways to achieve them. Denying inmates the right to pray in mosque is unacceptable.”
Eajaz Ahmed, state secretary, Tamil Nadu Muslim Progress Association, has been visiting the Vellore central prison for the last 14 years to celebrate Ramzan with Muslim inmates. But after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, authorities have prohibited him from entering the prison to celebrate Ramzan. “During last Ramzan, we were even denied the opportunity to meet Muslim prisoners to share greetings. These small gestures hold significant importance for the prisoners, and it is regrettable that permission was denied without explanation,” Ahmed said.
“Denying prayer rights is a crime. Over the last one year, I had personally requested the DIG and the ADSP seven times to open the mosque but there is no response,” he said. When contacted by TNIE, DIG R Rajalakshmi, said, “The mosque was closed during the pandemic. I don’t know about the current status. There is no role for vigilance in this.
Will check on this.” ADSP Abdul Rahaman said, “There are currently no restrictions on religious worship within prison. Inmates of all faiths are permitted to practise their religion within their cells. But organising large-scale religious gatherings within the prison is not practically possible. The prison has church, mosque, and temples within each block to allow inmates to engage in regular prayers and worship according to their convenience.”