Even as the police served notices to workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), its chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday said the movement to shut down loudspeakers on mosques was not a one-day affair but would continue.
“All I am asking is that the State government should follow the Supreme Court order on decibel limits. Today 90% mosques had no morning ‘azan’ on loudspeakers. I thank maulavis there for understanding our point. There are around 1,140 mosques in Mumbai, and as per my information, 135 played ‘azan’ before 5 am. While my party workers are being served notice, what action will be taken on those 135 mosques,” he asked at a press conference held at his home, Shivtirth.
He said Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Vishwas Nangre-Patil had assured him that no mosques would play ‘azan’ on loudspeakers. “Let me be clear that this is not a one-day affair. We will continue doing it hereafter,” he stated.
Detentions
Few MNS workers were detained by the city police after Mr. Thackeray’s order to his workers on Tuesday to play Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques. In one incident outside his house, MNS leaders and former corporators Sandeep Deshpande and Santosh Dhuri ran away in a car after the police came to detain them. A woman police constable was injured as both leaders fled in the car. Minister of State for Home (Rural) Shambhuraje Desai said the government had taken a serious note of the incident.
“I am not interested in taking credit for anything. It was collective effort by all. Not only mosques, but even temples should also bring down loudspeakers if they are using it illegally,” he said. Claiming that this was a social issue and not religious, Mr. Thackeray warned that if anyone tried to give it a religious corner, his party too would do the same.
Commenting on applications made by mosques for permission to use loudspeakers, he claimed that majority of them were illegal. “How can you give them permission for loudspeakers? How can mosques be given permission for loudspeakers for 365 days? We [Hindus] have to take permission for our festivals on day-to-day basis,” he added.
