Ranchi: The Durga Puja fervour has also gripped jail inmates across the state with as many as 256 prisoners, including around 100 from the Birsa Munda Central Jail here, fasting and performing the daily rituals of Navratri.
Notably, the prisoners who hail from different communities bond well during the Puja and other festivals every year. They even forgo their regular and expensive menu like meat and tea for several weeks so that the jail administration has funds to arrange for a feast on Mahanavmi and arrange for other basic needs of the devotees.
Birsa Munda jail superintendent Hamid Akhtar said, “Since each prisoner is allowed only Rs 12 for the festival, it is insufficient to host a feast for the prisoners. They, however, stop eating meat and other items for about a month so that the money saved can be spent on feast and puja materials.”
He said the prisoners follow a similar pattern in other festivals like Holi and Eid.
Akhtar said on an average, 10-15 inmates in each ward are fasting during the Puja. They have set up photos of the deities in their respective wards and offered prayers, he said, adding that the jail administration has disallowed installation of idols this year to prevent crowding and made it compulsory for everyone to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
Similarly, inmates of the Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan Central Jail in Hazaribagh are also celebrating the Puja and they have installed an idol at the spacious library where around 30 people can offer prayers and perform daily rituals. A priest is putting up inside the library for all 10 days.
On the funds for the Puja, jail superintendent Kumar Chandrashekhar said, “We get milk, fruit and other materials from the money saved after the inmates started the fasting ritual for the Puja.”
He said it is good to see the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation among the prisoners inside the jail during the festivals.