Over 18,000 inmates of Chhattisgarh jails take `holy bath' with water from Prayagraj
Raipur (PTI): Nearly 18,500 prison inmates across Chhattisgarh on Tuesday took a `holy bath' with water brought from the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj where the Maha Kumbh is underway, an official said here.
The "punya snan" was held in a special 'kund' (tank) set up in 33 prisons -- five central jails, 20 district jails and eight sub-jails, Deputy Inspector General (Prison) S S Tigga told PTI Videos.
The "sacred water" from Prayagraj was mixed in regular water in the tanks. Videos from jails in Durg, Bilaspur, Surguja and Kabirdham districts showed 'snan kunds' decorated with flowers, and prayers being offered ahead of the bath.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who holds charge of the Home portfolio, brought the holy water from Prayagraj which was distributed to the prisons, said Tigga.
There was a lot of excitement among prisoners who chanted "Har Har Gange" and expressed happiness over the arrangement, he added.
"We are fortunate that we got the opportunity to take a holy bath with water from Maa Ganga. We never thought we will get such a chance in our life, which became possible with the initiative of the government and jail administration," Ghasiram Yadav, an inmate at the Raipur Central Jail, said.
An official of Dhamtari district jail said all 239 prisoners took a holy bath.
"The purpose was to make prisoners experience spiritual purification and improve their mental health. `Ganga-jal' (water of the Ganga river) is considered sacred and a symbol of purification in Indian culture," he said.
The jail administration believes that a bath with Ganga-jal will give mental peace to prisoners, strengthen them spiritually, and inspire them to bring about self-transformation, adopt positive thinking and live a better life by joining the mainstream, the official added.
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Kerala court sentences 20-year-old man in minor girl rape case
Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court has sentenced a 20-year-old man to 21 years of imprisonment for raping a minor girl after befriending her on a social media app.
Karunagappally Fast Track Special Court judge Rajeevan Vachal sentenced the convict to 21 years under the relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, special public prosecutor (SPP) N C Premchandran said.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.1 lakh on the convict, the prosecutor said.
The incident occurred in 2024 when the accused befriended her on a social media app and then offered to take her to the Azheekal beach here.
However, instead of taking her to the beach, he took her to an isolated place behind the CHC hospital at Mynagappally here and raped her, the SPP said.
Following the incident, the girl attempted suicide, but was saved and then told the doctors what had happened, the prosecutor said.
The hospital authorities informed the police, who registered a case and launched an investigation.
The prosecutor said that seven witnesses were examined and 20 documents were submitted before the court to substantiate the guilt of the accused.
