Undertrial ‘attacked’ for Ram worship in Vijayapura jail

Vijayapura: An undertrial in Vijayapura jail has claimed that he was attacked for worshipping Lord Ram and distributing prasad, an incident that came to light following the release of a viral video statement by the accused. Identified as Parameshwar, a native of Maharashtra, the undertrial alleges that he was assaulted by fellow inmates, including a Muslim undertrial, for conducting a worship ceremony on the occasion of the Ram temple’s inauguration.

In the video statement, Parameshwar stated, “We had requested the jail authorities for permission to worship Lord Ram on June 22. But the officials did not allow it. However, on January 22, we worshipped Lord Ram in Vijayapura Central Jail and distributed prasada.” He further claimed that on January 23, the assistant jail superintendent, Chaudhary, called him along with two others to his chamber where they were allegedly attacked by fellow inmates.

Parameshwar accused the jail officials of not providing protection and lamented that instead of safeguarding them, they were incarcerated. Seeking intervention, he appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for assistance.

However, I G Mageri, the superintendent of the central prison, dismissed the allegations, stating that the accused was lying about the Ram celebration. Mageri claimed that on January 23, Parameshwar and other convicts created a disturbance in the jail, leading to their placement in a separate cell.

The release of the video statement has prompted an investigation into the allegations. Authorities are looking into how a mobile phone was accessed within the jail premises. Jail Superintendent IG Mageri assured that an inquiry would be conducted to ascertain the veracity of Parameshwar’s claims