Akeel Pathan, a murder convict in Gwalior jail has taken up reading the Shrimad Bhagwat Gita. He believes that religions teach unity, not divisions.
As per a report published in India Today, Pathan, who is a murder convict lodged in the Gwalior jail, has taken up reading the Bhagwat Gita after receiving a copy through an awareness campaign launched by ADG Gwalior Zone Raja Babu Singh.
Akeel has stated that he believes that religions always teach good things. He has been reading books in jail and being a Muslim, he has been reading books on his religion. But now that he has found a Bhagwat Gita, he has expressed a desire to read it and says he will try to understand the teachings and will implement them if he likes them.
As per the India Today report, Gwalior zone Additional Director General of Police Raja Babu Singh has started a campaign to create awareness about the Gita among various sections of the society. He even goes to schools to talk about the “Gita Gyan” with the children. Raja Babu Singh is often seen participating in spiritual talks and events. On the day of Dusshera, Singh distributed the copies along with rosary in the jail premises.
Speaking to India Today, Singh stated that he believes people become criminals and face jail due to their bad karma. He added that the Gita will show the path towards spiritual awakening and righteousness to those who have wavered.
The event saw a spiritual guru from Vrindavan, Anandeshwar Das Chaitanya, teach the inmates about the virtues of a righteous life. “The Gita is not just a religious book, it is a spiritual growth that a human being should accept as the life’s constitution. One who goes against this constitution of the country, lands in jail. Similarly, one who violates the spiritual constitution gets stuck in this life-cycle”, explained the guru.
The report states that many of the inmates, irrespective of their religion, have shown willingness to read the Gita.
The Gwalior jail has 3,396 inmates including 164 women. The women inmates have 21 children with them.
