Jamiat-e-Ulema protests against SIR, removal of mosque loudspeakers in Bengal; here's how SIR helped keep illegal Bangladeshis away from voting

Leading the march was state president Maulana Siddiqullah Chowdhury, who also aimed at the removal of loudspeakers from mosques, accusing the RSS of turning the matter into a political "drama." "Tell the Chief Minister that there are huge, four-foot speakers. If he has the courage, let him remove them. He does not have the courage to do so. They are simply putting on this drama," Chowdhury said, dismissing it as "a drama, a show by the RSS."



It may also be noted that on the SIR issue, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has approached the Supreme Court. On his appeal, the Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to file a detailed reply. The Court has asked the Election Commission how many cases the tribunal has resolved so far, and what steps the Commission has taken to expedite this process. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that after the Supreme Court's intervention, he now has renewed hope for justice.

Removal of loudspeakers from the Mosques irked Islamists

The said rally comes days after the West Bengal Police, on August 6 across several districts in the state, began asking mosque committees to remove high-decibel rooftop loudspeakers and replace them with sound boxes. This follows the newly elected BJP government's decision to strictly enforce existing noise pollution norms at religious places.


Industry Minister Tapas Roy also stated that the government would appeal to all religious institutions to voluntarily comply with the regulations. However, the implementation drew criticism from several Muslim organisations, which argued that the law regulated noise levels rather than mandating the removal of loudspeakers.

SIR for elimination of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants vs Islamist allegations


Opposition parties and groups like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, however, claim that the process disproportionately affected genuine Indian citizens, particularly Muslims, with claims of lakhs of legitimate voters being wrongly struck off. This dispute is currently before the Supreme Court, which has sought a detailed response from the EC.

Illegal Bangladeshis agreed that they were provided fraudulent documents by TMC


During the recently held West Bengal elections, several Bangladeshi Islamists confessed that the former TMC government provided them with key documents and cash under the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme for their votes.


Another illegal immigrant also revealed that his father voted for TMC after the party workers arranged for illegal Indian ID cards. This is a day after large numbers of illegal Bangladeshi migrants began congregating at several border points across West Bengal, as the BJP government's newly launched "detect, delete and deport" policy moved from political announcement to ground-level implementation.

West Bengal's "detect, delete and deport" framework

ALSO READ: Detect, Delete, Deport: WB CM Adhikari says those not covered under CAA will be termed infiltrators and deported immediately, details 

The announcement signalled a sharper policy turn on infiltration and border management, long among the BJP's most potent political themes in Bengal, at the centre of the new government's agenda. Adhikari said those communities covered under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) would remain outside the ambit of the new mechanism, while others identified as infiltrators would face action with immediate effect.

In the given case, the court has fixed August 25 as the next date of hearing on Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's petition.