Mandir and masjid remove loudspeakers in UP town. Say it sends a message - Hindustan Times
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Mandir and masjid remove loudspeakers in UP town. Say it sends a message

Apr 25, 2022 05:35 PM IST

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath earlier ordered the use of loudspeakers at religious sites in such a manner that the sound is limited to their premises and doesn’t cause inconvenience to anyone.

VARANASI: The biggest temple and a mosque in Uttar Praddesh’s Badagaon town have taken down their loudspeakers after a meeting between the temple priest and mosque’s imam, who decided to send a message on communal harmony.

Ram Janki temple and Sunni Jama Masjid in UP’s Badagaon have removed their loudspeakers (Representative image)
Ram Janki temple and Sunni Jama Masjid in UP’s Badagaon have removed their loudspeakers (Representative image)

Temple priest Shanti Mohan Dass and imam Hafiz Mohammad Taj Alam said they jointly decided to bring down the loudspeakers that were used in the temple and mosque for decades.

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The Ram Janki temple is one of the most revered temples in Jhansi, and Sunni Jama Mosque are located close to each other in Badagaon town’s Gandhi Chowk locality. While the temple used to broadcast the morning arti over its loudspeaker, the mosque used its loudspeakers for azaan (Muslim call for prayer) five times a day.

Shanti Mohan Dass said the decision was taken to send out a strong message of love and brotherhood among people. “The arti is performed every morning and evening, the bhajans are being recited regularly but without loudspeakers,” he said.

Hafiz Taj Alam said the step was the need of the hour to take down the two loudspeakers. “We have been living in harmony and this (loudspeakers) cannot be allowed to come in the way. I pray for this harmony to prevail in the country and people continue to live in peace. We have small speakers inside the mosque and ensure the sound doesn’t travel outside and remains within the mosque,” he said.

The move by the two religious leaders comes against the backdrop of a raging controversy over use of loudspeakers in temples and mosques.

“Their initiative to promote interfaith brotherhood is heart-warming. They have lived up to the ideals of Rani Laxmi Bai which is rooted deep in the culture of Jhansi. In her army, people used to chant Har Har Mahadev and Allah Hu Akbar together when they fought the British. Such was the communal harmony,” said Bhanu Sahay, the convenor of Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha.

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