Loudspeakers being removed from temples and mosques in UP
The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday said that hundreds of loudspeakers have been removed from religious places and thousands regulated across the state after dialogues with leaders of different religions. This is part of an initiative started on orders of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
Last week, Yogi Adityanath in a law-and-order meeting review had ordered special measures after the clashes in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, and also because the festivals of Eid and Akshay Tritiya are likely to fall on the same date early next month.
No new permissions
One of directions given by Yogi was to remove illegal loudspeakers from religious places and to regulate noise from sanctioned ones as per various court directions. He also said that no new permissions for loudspeakers would be given.
Also read: No religious processions or marches without state permission, orders Yogi
Pictures tweeted from various UP Police Twitter handles in the last few days show loudspeakers being removed from both temples and mosques and many religious leaders speaking in favour of this, reports NDTV.
A tweet this morning by the police in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda showed loudspeakers being removed from both temples and mosques. The police said this was done after a dialogue with all stakeholders.
Awareness drive
Visuals from capital Lucknow showed the police handing out pamphlets with information about permissible noise levels at religious places as well as marriage halls. Similar visuals were also shared by the police in western Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, a communally sensitive district.
“According to court and government guidelines, there are limits on sound from loudspeakers and one needs permission for loudspeakers. We spoke to religious leaders and caretakers of temples and mosques and over 500 loudspeakers have been taken down voluntarily in the district. This exercise will continue for a few days,” Akash Tomar, the district’s police chief said in a statement.
Talks with religious leaders
A top police official in UP said that dialogue had been initiated with over 37,000 religious leaders across the state. “There are clear directions that festivals have to be celebrated in a traditional manner. We are making special arrangements in sensitive districts,” Prashant Kumar, the officer in charge of law and order in the state said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 683 loudspeakers were taken down across Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district and the volume of 395 loudspeakers was lowered as per the parameters, NDTV reported. “On the appeal of police/administration, people voluntarily took down loudspeakers from temples/mosques/religious places. 683 loudspeakers were taken down across the district and the volume of 395 loudspeakers was lowered as per the parameters,” said the Sitapur Police.
Also read: Yogi’s second term to see renaming of several more districts, cities
