Loudspeakers removed from 125 religious places in UP
27 Apr 2022 12:41:31
Lucknow, Apr 27: Last week, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that loudspeakers can be used at religious places in the state with permission but the sound should not be heard outside the premises concerned.
The government asked the volume of loudspeakers to be lowered to the standards set for all the religious places, including the temples and mosques in the state. Orders were given to take them down if the rules were violated.
Now, the volume of loudspeakers at 17,000 religious places across the state has been lowered. Those in charge of the religious places have taken this step themselves. Additionally, speakers have been removed from 125 places, as per the Additional Director General (Law and Order) of Uttar Pradesh Police. Recently, the loudspeaker was removed from Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi. The volume of the loudspeaker at the Gorakhnath temple complex has also been reduced. In addition, loudspeakers installed at religious places in Kanpur, Lucknow, Noida, and other cities have either been removed or their volume has been reduced to such a level that they cannot be heard outside the premises, but many religious places have yet to take the call. ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar also said that security arrangements are being made for peaceful conduct of namaz in the state and peace committee meetings are being held. He added that talks on the loudspeaker matter have been held with 37,344 religious leaders in UP.
The loudspeaker has been removed from Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi in UP's Mathura. Earlier, religious songs were played at the temple for one and a half hours every morning, but this has now been stopped. At Goraknath temple, the volume of the loudspeaker has been reduced. Speaking to India Today, Minority Welfare Minister Danish Azad Ansari said the order was being implemented effectively to reduce the volume of loudspeakers and take it down both in the temple or in the mosque. People of all religions are following the government's guideline, which is for the benefit of the public. All religious leaders are following it as reports are coming from the districts and action is going on continuously. On the other hand, Maulana Sufiyaan Nizami, spokesperson of Darul Uloom Farangi Mahal, said after the order of the government, loudspeakers were used in low volumes in the mosque and the dargah. At the same time, there should be no discrimination based on religion in following any kind of rule and it should be complied equally at every place.