Maharashtra DGP asks police to enforce law, SC ruling on loudspeakers

Against the backdrop the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s demand to remove loudspeakers from mosques, the Maharashtra director general of police on Tuesday instructed the officials to enforce the law and Supreme Court's guidelines on the issue strictly.

DGP Rajnish Seth held a meeting through video conference in the morning with all district superintendents of police, special inspector generals of various ranges and commissioners of major cities, said an official.

A senior official attended the meeting on behalf of the Mumbai police commissioner.

The DGP instructed unit commanders to allow loudspeakers between 6 am and 10 pm with prior permission from the police, and asked them to strictly abide by the Supreme Court's guidelines on loudspeakers' use as well as the noise pollution norms laid down by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.

The use of loudspeakers in public places was an old issue and there are clear guidelines, the DGP said while instructing all police units to take action in case there was any complaint of noise pollution, the official said.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray demanded earlier this month that loudspeakers at mosques relaying azaan (prayers) be removed by May 3 or else his party would play the Hanuman Chalisa at higher volumes to counter them.

Meanwhile, state Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said the police was keeping a close watch on the situation and fully prepared to take action against those trying to create communal disturbances over the loudspeaker issue.

Earlier on Monday, Walse-Patil had said  DGP Rajnish Seth and Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey would prepare comprehensive guidelines in a couple of days on the use of loudspeakers at the places of worship.

On Monday, Nashik police commissioner Deepak Pandey had issued an order directing that no bhajan or religious songs be played on loudspeakers 15 minutes before or after azaan in a radius of 100 metres of any mosque.