Shahjahanpur (UP), Jul 21 (PTI) Inmates of a District Jail here conducted a symbolic Kanwar Yatra on Monday inside the premises, offering Ganga water to Lord Shiva, seeking redemption for their past sins and hoping for an early release, a senior jail official said.
Jail Superintendent Mizaji Lal told PTI that several inmates had approached him with a request to participate in the Kanwar Yatra, which is traditionally held during the month of Sawan.
However, since prisoners cannot leave the jail premises, arrangements were made to bring Ganga water from Panchal Ghat in Farrukhabad, he said.
Around two dozen inmates, dressed in saffron attire, carried symbolic kanwars on their shoulders and performed yatra within the jail compound, chanting Shiva hymns and dancing, before offering sacred water to the deity.
Among the participants was Amandeep Kaur, a British national on death row for killing her husband in 2015. She carried a pot filled with Ganga water and performed the Jalabhishek (water offering ritual) to Lord Shiva.
The inmates saw this ritual as a spiritual cleansing and an act of penance and a prayer for early release, the officer said.
“This initiative is aimed at encouraging positive and spiritual thinking among inmates and such reformative activities allow prisoners to take part in religious and cultural programmes, helping to instil discipline, restraint and spiritual awareness,” the jail superintendent added. PTI COR KIS APL HIG
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