Lodspeaker row: Maharashtra HM Dilip Walse Patil urges communities to maintain peace ahead of MNS rally in Aurangabad

Mumbai: Maharashtra Home Min Dilip Walse Patil on Sunday appealed to 'Hindu & Muslim communities' to maintain peace ahead of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) rally in Aurangabad today.

He said that Maharashtra Police is on alert.

"Permission for the rally has been given with certain terms & conditions & we expect those conditions to be followed. I want to appeal to Hindu & Muslim communities to maintain peace", the minister said.

The Aurangabad Police had granted permission to the rally while imposing 16 conditions. “We are ready for the function tomorrow. Adequate personnel will be deployed at the venue as well as other places in the city. Monitoring will be done through CCTV cameras,” Aurangabad Police Commissioner Nikhil Gupta told The Indian Express.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray was welcomed amid beats of dhols by party workers at Aurangabad on Saturday, where he will hold a rally on May 1 – on Mahatashtra Day – over the use of loudspeakers at mosques.

The rally comes in the backdrop backdrop of the ultimatum given by Raj Thackeray to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3. If not done, Hanuman Chalisa will be played in front of mosques on speakers, he had said.