Loudspeakers At Religious Places In Mathura Fall Silent

Mathura: Loudspeakers have fallen silent in Mathura after both the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust and Shahi Idgah switched off loudspeakers from their premises in line with the direction of the Uttar Pradesh government.

After the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust took the decision to stop using the loudspeakers on Wednesday, the authorities of Shahi Idgah here have also removed the loudspeakers from the premises.

Secretary of Shahi Idgah Committee, Tanveer Ahmed, said that out of a total of four loudspeakers, the authorities on Wednesday removed three loudspeakers from the premises.

"While keeping in mind the guidelines, there used to be Azaan for 1.30 minutes. Now, three out of four loudspeakers have been switched off. The lone loudspeaker with sound confined within the mosque premises is functional," he added.

The chairman of the Shahi Idgah Committee, Professor Zaid Hasan, said that they have taken the decision to keep the sound of Azaan inside the mosque premises only. "No religion teaches that any of its actions should cause any trouble or objection to others. We are the residents of the city which spreads the message of love to the whole world. This has been the speciality of this city that people of both the religions celebrate each other's festivals with great enthusiasm," added Hasan. Recently, the Noida administration had served notices to around 900 religious places using loudspeakers and urged them to follow the directives, citing the Supreme Court order on the use of loudspeakers.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday directed that the loudspeakers at religious places should not play loud and the voice must be confined within the premises only. He also said that the microphones should not be installed and that no new loudspeakers would be allowed at religious places.

The CM directed the officials not to allow any new religious procession to be taken out while allowing only traditional processions. The order also mentioned that religious procession must not be taken out in the state without prior permission from the administration.  

—ANI