At Madhya Pradesh Police Training Centres, Ramcharitmanas May Be Recited Every Night

In Madhya Pradesh's Police Training Centres, a fresh cultural and moral dimension may soon be added to the daily routine of police trainees. In a recent meeting with the Superintendents of Police from all Police Training Schools, Additional Director General (Training) Rajababu Singh suggested that recruits could begin collectively reciting Chaupais from the Ramcharitmanas every night in their barracks before going to sleep.

Speaking to NDTV, Mr Singh said this practice, if adopted, would not only help trainees absorb the deeper meaning of these verses but also encourage them to implement those teachings in real life, ultimately shaping them into more grounded, value-driven police officers.

Describing Shri Ramcharitmanas as a "treasure trove of wisdom" and "a guide for ideal, value-based living," Mr Singh said the aim was to instill inner strength, discipline, and ethical clarity among those preparing for a challenging public service career.

The suggestion comes at a time when several recruits undergoing the nine-month constable basic course training have been requesting transfers to centres closer to their homes. Mr Singh expressed concern over this trend, noting that such preferences risk weakening the state-level character of the Madhya Pradesh Police force.

"If officers are trained only near their homes, it becomes difficult to deploy them anywhere in the state later," he said. To dissuade this mindset, he recalled the 14-year exile of Lord Rama, who adapted to forest life and overcame hardships with resilience. "If Lord Rama could live in the forest for 14 years, why can't our recruits complete nine months of training away from home?" he remarked.

The new batch of recruits began their training this week in eight Police Training Schools across the state. Under Mr Singh's leadership, the training curriculum has also been refreshed with several innovations from circuit training and bamboo exercises to commando drills like frog jumps and inch-worm walks.

There is renewed focus on local culture through folk martial arts, and digital readiness through eCop modules covering cybercrime and technology-related topics. In addition, sports like volleyball, basketball, and kabaddi have been integrated to nurture athletic potential, and other initiatives like village adoption programmes, instructor workshops, and a mentor-mentee support system have been rolled out. A special focus has also been placed on the well-being of trainees with improved food quality in messes, especially following the Tighra incident, and the introduction of Poshan Aahar Bhatta (sRMA) for women recruits.

This is not the first time Rajababu Singh has drawn on spiritual and cultural traditions in policing. Known for his earlier "Gita Gyan" awareness campaign while serving as ADG of Gwalior zone, Singh has spoken to students about the Bhagavad Gita and even distributed copies in jails during Dussehra. His tenure with the Border Security Force (BSF) as Inspector General (Training) is marked by similar holistic approaches to discipline and personal development.

Rajababu Singh, a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has also served in Kashmir with the BSF and with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Singh has also pledged to devote a considerable amount of time to serve pilgrims in Ayodhya after his retirement.