Loudspeaker Row Updates: Amid the ongoing row on the use of loudspeakers at religious sites triggered by MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Maharashtra director general of police held a meeting with district commissionerates on the issue. Home minister Dilip Walse Patil said that guidelines on loudspeaker could be formulated in two days.
Meanwhile, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath issued strict orders to police late in the night. The officers have been directed to keep a vigil and ensure that no road and public place is blocked for religious procession. The order states that no mikes will be set up at any new places, while the officers will ensure that existing ones are within permissible limit. Leaves of all field policemen have been cancelled till May 4.
How Did the Loudspeaker Controversy Begin?
The controversy began after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray earlier this month demanded that loudspeakers at mosques be shut down and said if this is not stopped, “there will be speakers outside mosques playing ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ at higher volume”. The statement led to reactions from many leaders, while some groups began fanning the ‘Azaan vs Hanuman Chalisa’ row.
Here Are All the Latest Updates Related to Loudspeaker Row:
• As the row over loudspeakers heats up, a new controversy has hit Kerala after a board outside the Malliyodu Palottu Kaavu, a temple in Kunhimangalam of Kannur, said that Muslims were not allowed inside the premises during festival time. The board put up during the Vishu-related festival in the temple between April 14 and 19 has let to protests in the area. According to a report in The News Minute, it is not the first time such a board was seen outside the temple during Vishu. Last year, a similar board was kept outside the temple with the same message.
• Raj Thackeray held a meeting with all the office bearers of his party at his residence ‘Shivtirth’ at 10.30 am to decide his next strategy on the issue of loudspeakers. MNS leader Nitin Sardesai said that the party workers will perform ‘Maha aarti’ at their local temples across the state on May 3, on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. “The ‘aarti’ will be performed using loudspeakers,” he added.
• A day ago, Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil had said that the director general of police and Mumbai police commissioner would formulate guidelines for the use of loudspeakers in public places. “The guidelines will be issued in the next 1-2 days. We have kept an eye on the law and order situation in the state. Strict action will be taken against those who try to disturb the peace in the state,” he told the media.
• In Aligarh, the administration has said that no new permission will be given or a new tradition will be allowed to start to make religious announcements on loudspeaker. If someone wishes to use the loudspeaker, he/she will have to take permission from the magistrate. The department concerned will grant permission only after monitoring the situation in the area and considering the police report.
• Rubina Khan, president of Samajwadi Party (SP)’s women’s wing, said that if Hindu activists recite Hanuman Chalisa at 21 crossing points in the Aligarh, as announced earlier, Muslim women would read the Quran in front of temples. Following the comments, an FIR has been registered against Khan.
• The Bhim Army, founded by Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’, has written to the election commission and Maharashtra DGP, demanding FIR against Raj Thackeray under section 298 (utterance or gesture in the sight of that person or places with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any person) of the IPC. In the letter, national secretary of the party, Ashok Kamble, has asked the authorities to cancel the registration of Raj Thackeray’s MNS.
• “If loudspeakers are the main point of violence, then it should be banned in temples, mosques, gurdwaras, every where. This is only in the last eight years that a fight has started in the name of religion,” said Congress leader Rashid Alvi.
• Union minister Ramdas Athawale said that they oppose Raj Thackeray’s move to remove loudspeakers from mosques. “If he wants, he can take permission and install loudspeakers near temples. This sort of politics should not happen. Each one should understand. The Muslims in India today were once Hindus,” he added
• The Gujarat High Court has asked the state government to clear its stand on the use of loudspeakers for azaan in mosques all over the state, Live Law reported.
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