The Madhya Pradesh Police will start daily reading sessions of the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas for recruits at its training centres, The Indian Express reported on Thursday.

The decision was reportedly taken after 300 recruits requested to be shifted to training centres closer to their home districts. Around 7,400 newly-appointed constables, sub-inspectors and deputy superintendents are undergoing training in the state, according to the Hindustan Times.

Raja Babu Singh, the additional director general of police (training), told The Indian Express that Ramcharitmanas, especially the episode involving deity Ram’s 14-year exile, is expected to impart lessons in living away from home to the recruits.

“Lord Ram did not return to Ayodhya for 14 years,” Singh was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “During that time, he learned to live in the forest, built an army and overcame hardship. If we want to teach our recruits lessons, they will have to be from our local culture, which they can relate to.”

On Tuesday, Singh directed district police superintendents overseeing training centres to immediately procure copies of the Ramcharitmanas and begin recitations, the Hindustan Times reported.

The trainees will be asked to recite at least two chapters each night, reported The Indian Express, quoting unidentified officials.

An unidentified police officer posted at a training institute said the sessions would not be mandatory for non-Hindu trainees, the Hindustan Times reported. “The meaning of all the couplets will be explained in Hindi so that everyone can take life lessons from them,” the officer was quoted as saying.

The Congress has criticised the move, stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government and its officials have a habit of “mixing religion with everything”.

“Instead of making these trainees secular, who can respect and treat people of all religions alike, they are giving extra importance to one religion,” the Hindustan Times quoted party leader KK Mishra as saying.

However, BJP Spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai defended the initiative and said that “trainees are being prepared to get ready for every kind of challenge and Lord Ram is the best example of surviving in the forest while fighting against demons”.