A major political row has broken out in West Bengal after several Muslim leaders alleged that police were pressuring mosques across the state to remove loudspeakers used for the azan, the Islamic call to prayer. Mosque committees claimed they had received verbal instructions from local police stations to take down the loudspeakers.
The Trinamool Congress faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee is expected to raise the matter with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday.
Meanwhile, three rebel TMC MPs—former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, Khalilur Rahaman and Abu Taher Khan—met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday and submitted a memorandum on the issue.
The MPs voiced concerns over safeguarding religious freedom and urged the Centre to ensure that noise pollution regulations are implemented without affecting religious practices.
WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT?
During its first Cabinet meeting, the BJP government decided to enforce court-directed noise pollution norms at all religious institutions.
Under the rules, the permissible noise level is capped at 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night.
According to a report in The Indian Express, state police were instructed to ensure compliance with these limits, and several imams said mosque committees had been advised to replace loudspeakers with sound boxes.
CHIEF MINISTER DEFENDS ACTION
Amid the controversy, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari defended the government's decision, saying it was merely implementing court directives.
He said the sound from both mosques and temples should remain confined within their premises and not extend beyond the compound, adding that police had been instructed accordingly.
The Chief Minister said 5,299 loudspeakers had been removed from mosques and temples following police directions. Of these, around 4,203 were taken down from mosques and 1,096 from temples.
He further said police had been directed not to use force and claimed mosque committees had cooperated with the administration.
Rebel Trinamool MLA Akhruzzaman said people of every religion have a constitutional right to practise their faith. "This is a secular country. We will raise this issue with the Chief Minister," he said.
"Hindus should be free to visit temples and pray. Similarly, Muslims should be able to visit mosques, recite the azan and offer namaz. This is part of our culture and should be preserved," he added.
MUSLIM LEADERS WARN OF PROTESTS
Former Bengal minister and TMC leader Siddiqullah Chowdhury warned of a large-scale protest if the issue remained unresolved.
Chowdhury, who heads the Bengal unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, alleged that police officials had visited several mosques and pressured their management committees to remove loudspeakers.
Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Naushad Siddiqui said he may approach the High Court and has written to the Bengal Director General of Police seeking clarification on whether any official order had been issued.
In his letter, the Bhangar MLA said many mosque committees had already lowered the volume of loudspeakers. He argued that institutions found violating the rules should be issued formal notices and given an opportunity to present their case.
He also sought a standard operating procedure for enforcing noise pollution norms and demanded an inquiry against police personnel found to have exceeded their authority.
BJP REJECTS CRITICISM
The ruling BJP has dismissed the allegations.
Bengal BJP president Shamik Bhattacharya said everyone has the democratic right to protest but accused political parties of adopting "double standards".
"This is a democratic country. Anyone is free to protest. This is not the rule of Babur, nor a Tughlaq-style administration," he said.
"Politics driven by the belief that only one viewpoint should prevail while others are ignored will not be accepted by the people of Bengal," Bhattacharya added.
