Vellore jail mosque out of bounds for inmates

Security reasons cited for mosque's closure; prisoners claim they are prevented from raising issue with officials

- RAJALAKSHMI SAMPATH

FOR the last three years, the mosque inside the Vellore Central Jail has remained out of bounds for the Muslim inmates of the jail. Though there are no known instances of misuse by the inmates, prison authorities have kept the mosque, a room that can accommodate around 30 people at a time, closed even on auspicious days like Ramzan, forcing inmates to offer prayers in their prison cells.

The prison campus has a church, two Hindu temples, and the mosque. All places of worship on the campus were shut in 2021 as part of Covid control measures, but after the restrictions were removed, authorities reopened the church and temples but not the mosque.

Sources said the prison currently has 20 to 30 Muslim convicts in ordinary block and 5 to 10 in high-security block.

"I have been incarcerated in the prison for the past four years. The mosque has been offlimits for three years. We are not even permitted to offer Friday prayers inside the mosque," a Muslim inmate said. Intelligence and vigilance staff have denied Muslim prisoners access to the mosque, he said.

"Vigilance authorities claim that allowing mass prayers I could lead to unwanted influence and radicalisation. Authorities say that Muslim inmates may propagate terrorist ideas in the prison," said a Muslim inmate. "We have repeatedly protested against the closure of the mosque. Whenever we seek permission to pray, vigilance staffs ask us to pray within our cells," he said.