Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday, April 2, called on the Maharashtra government to remove loudspeakers from mosques, warning that if it failed to do so his party would place loudspeakers in front of mosques and play the “Hanuman Chalisa”.
Addressing party workers on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the Maharashtrian New Year, Thackeray said, "I am not against prayers, you can pray at your home, but the government should take a decision on removing mosque loudspeakers. I am warning now... Remove loudspeakers or else will put loudspeakers in front of the mosque and play Hanuman Chalisa.”
The very next day his party workers in Mumbai's Ghatkopar, played the Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers and chanted it loudly, also raising the slogan of 'Jai Shri Ram'.
On Tuesday, the issue garnered more headlines when Mohit Kamboj, a billionaire bullion entrepreneur and among the richest Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, offered to provide free loudspeakers to play the Hanuman Chalisa in public places.
In Karnataka, Sri Rama Sene Chief Pramod Muthalik on Tuesday warned that if the government fails to remove microphones from all the mosques, the Sene would intensify its protest by singing bhajans using loudspeakers in temples.
What are the rules against use of loud speakers?
According to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, restrictions on the use of loud speakers or public address systems include not using one “except after obtaining written permission from the authority,” and not using a loud speaker/public address system at night between 10 pm and 6 am, except in closed premises for communication within – auditoria, conference rooms, community halls and banquet halls.
The Karnataka High Court had banned the use of loudspeakers in religious places last year.
Karnataka police seize microphones, send notices to mosques:
Meanwhile, with several right-wing Hindu groups launching campaigns against playing of ‘azaan’ through loudspeakers at mosques, Bengaluru city police began seizing microphones from places of worship which allegedly defied court orders on noise pollution.
Mosques in Karnataka have started receiving notices from the police to use their loudspeakers within the permissible decibel levels.
In Bengaluru alone, about 250 mosques have received such notices and the mosque authorities have started installing devices that keeps the sound within the permissible level, a report said.
Other Maharashtra leaders did not support his comments. "People thought it (MNS event) was a BJP event. The law of the land prevails in Maharashtra. The home minister will do everything as per the law," ruling Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Maharashtra minister Dilip Patel also took a balanced view of the situation and said that "some people were trying to create a divide in the society."
Karnataka minister, however, said, “This is not a competition for us to play Hanuman Chalisa loudly on speakers to counter them. I have no objections to you (Muslims) offering prayer but because of your using loudspeakers, if prayers are offered at temples and churches also in a similar way, it will lead to conflict between communities."
Karnataka is already dealing with a controversy over hijabs after headscarves - worn by girls and women of Muslim community - were banned in classrooms. This had sparked a nationwide debate.
For months now, Karnataka has been on the boil as Hindutva groups launch campaign after campaign against the state’s minorities. On March 15, the Karnataka High Court had upheld the government order and ruled that wearing hijab was not essential to Islam.
In March, several temples in Karnataka had also banned Muslim traders from opening stalls at annual fairs.
