MP Police trainees to recite verses of Ramcharitmanas each night
Madhya Pradesh police trainees will recite Ramcharitmanas nightly to learn resilience, sparking debate on mixing religion with training.
Every night before sleep, trainees at police academies in Madhya Pradesh will collectively recite a few verses from Ramcharitmanas, a 16th century version of the Ramayana written in Awadhi by Tulsidas because Additional Director General of police (Training) Rajababu Singh believes it will teach them how to deal with adversity.
“New things (navachar) should be introduced for new batches for overall development of the trainees,” said the order, introducing daily recitation of Ramcharitmanas that was ordered by ADG issued on Tuesday.
Singh has decided that the trainees in small groups at eight will recite a few couplets of Ramcharitmanas every night.
Singh’s order said that the district police superintendents in-charge of the training centers have been instructed to get a copy of Ramcharitmanas immediately and start the recitation.
Confirming this order, a police officer posted at the training institute said, “We received these instructions and we will implement it soon but it won’t be compulsory for trainees of other religions to avoid controversy. However, the meaning of all the couplets will be explained in Hindi so that everyone can take life lessons from them.”
Singh said he himself has learnt many things from Ramcharitmanas that have made him stronger and able to deal with any kind of adversity. “Being head of the training department, it’s my duty to make our trainees strong too.”
He added that “many new trainees are not able to cope with the nine-month training. They want training centres near their homes so that they can visit family frequently,” added Singh, who came back to his parent Madhya Pradesh cadre after a stint with the Border Security Force (BSF).
“He (Lord Ram) learnt the art of surviving in the forest, adapting to an unfamiliar environment and defeating the enemy. Police trainees should also learn it,” said the 1994 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.
According to Madhya Pradesh police, about 7400 newly appointed constables, sub-inspectors and deputy superintendents of police are undergoing training at the institutes.
Congress leader K K Mishra said, “The BJP-led state government and its officers have made a habit of mixing religion with everything. Instead of making these trainees secular, who can respect and treat people of all religions alike, they are giving extra importance to one religion.”
But BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said it was a good initiative: “Here, trainees are being prepared to get ready for every kind of challenge and Lord Ram is the best example of surviving in the forest while fighting against demons.”
