Child protection officer reprimands employees for prayer row

Thrissur: The District child welfare officer has reprimanded temporary employees for informing their superiors about the prayer conducted in the office to ward off ‘negative energy’. After the prayer controversy came to light, the employees explained the events in writing to the district women and child development officer P Meera, who came to investigate. It was after this that the child protection officer K.A Bindu warned the employees and reportedly said, ‘Don’t forget that I’m the one who pays you. Go get your salaries from Meera madam’.

P Meera collected the evidence relating to the matter on Monday morning as per the instructions of the directorate of women and child development. All the employees wrote in the letter submitted that they participated in the prayer as requested by K.A Bindu. 

Bindu told the media yesterday that the prayer was held in the first week of September and that it was just a one-minute prayer after office hours. However, the employees have said that the incident took place during office hours on September 29 and that the Bible reading and prayer lasted for ten minutes. 

All the employees have said that they participated in the prayer as per Bindu’s direct request. The child line employee who led the prayer said that the officer asked him to pray several times knowing that he was pursuing religious studies.