MP Arun Govil hands out copies of Ramayana to Meerut jail prisoners, confronts murder accused Muskan and her boyfriend Sahil

Local MP Arun Govil handed out approximately 1,500 copies of the Ramayana to prisoners at the Chaudhary Charan Singh district jail in Meerut on Sunday.

Among the prisoners who received a copy of Ramayana were Muskan Rastogi, a woman who was charged with brutally killing her husband, and her boyfriend and co-murder suspect Sahil Shukla.

"While distributing the copies of the Ramayana in the jail, I also encountered Muskan and Sahil who, also, gladly accepted the copies of the epic. Though we didn't say a word to each other, I requested the inmates to promise that they would never do such an act in the future, for which they need to be behind the bars again," said Govil.

From January 22 of this year, the first anniversary of the inauguration of the Ayodhya's Ram Mandir, Govil has begun to distribute copies of the Ramayana. His goal is to distribute 11 lakh such copies throughout the nation during his tenure in Parliament over the next five years.

The ambitious initiative is designed "to counter negative thoughts among people that often drive them towards criminal activities," the BJP MP, who played Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's legendary Ramayan television series, said.

The Lok Sabha MP said he began his mission after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his approval. "When I fought the Lok Sabha elections, I was one of the poorest candidates.". Post-election, my financial situation deteriorated, yet I have resolved to use my personal resources for the distribution of the copies. Anyone who is interested in participating in this large project is welcome to join me. The copies will also be distributed among the MPs," stated Govil.

A website has also been initiated so that whoever is willing to have a copy can get in touch via the portal, Govil explained at his house in Defence Colony in Meerut. Ramayana is being printed in 13 languages at Geeta Press in Gorakhpur so that even non-Hindi speakers can read it, he said.

"Even if one can absorb just 10 per cent of the message and ethics in the epic in his or her life, it can result in the betterment of society as well as the self," Govil added.