Ajit meets Muslim leaders, assures support in loudspeaker row

The meeting was organised as Muslim representatives sought Pawar’s help after the Mumbai police issued a circular on May 11, directing all religious structures to remove loudspeakers installed in their premises

Mumbai: With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) adopting a hardline stance regarding the removal of loudspeakers from mosques across the city, deputy chief minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar on Wednesday held a meeting with leaders and representatives of the Muslim community and assured them of his support in the matter.

Ajit Pawar (Hindustan Times)

The meeting was organised as Muslim representatives sought Pawar’s help after the Mumbai police issued a circular on May 11, directing all religious structures to remove loudspeakers installed in their premises. The circular also required religious structures interested in installing loudspeakers to submit applications to the police along with documents such as property cards, proof of legal construction, and whether the structure was registered with the waqf board or the charity commissioner.

Wednesday’s meeting was attended by top police officers including police commissioner Deven Bharti and director general of police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla.

Participants at the meeting urged police officers to be lenient with mosque managements and requested that the process for obtaining police permission for installation of loudspeakers be streamlined.

“The permissions are valid only for three months and the process is really difficult. We requested that the application process be streamlined by making it online. The police commissioner assured he would look into the request,” said Zeeshan Siddique, former MLA and NCP leader who was present at the meeting.

A few representatives complained that the police were taking selective action against mosques over the presence of loudspeakers.

“They are not taking any action against other religious structures over the presence of loudspeakers. We support this, but we are against the targeting of mosques, which we brought to the attention of the deputy chief minister,” said a leader, requesting anonymity.

Some participants also pointed out that the BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had been visiting mosques in the city and forcing the police to remove loudspeakers for allegedly violating the 45-decibel rule.

“Such action can lead to a law and order situation if it continues,” one of the participants said during the meeting. Pawar too expressed his unhappiness against Somaiya, saying, “He should refrain from visiting mosques.”

Abu Asim Azmi, president of the Samajwadi Party in Maharashtra, said Pawar assured them of support. Both Bharti and Shukla assured the deputy chief minister that they would look into the complaints while Bharti said he would soon hold a meeting with deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) to find a solution to the problem.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP joined the Mahayuti coalition led by BJP and Shiv Sena in July 2023. Since then, the party has been insisting that it has not given up its secular credentials and it is part of the ruling coalition only for development.

By holding a meeting with representatives of the Muslim community regarding the use of loudspeakers in mosques, Pawar has once again tried to send a message that he still believes in secularism, said observers.

Meanwhile, Mumbai guardian minister and city BJP chief Ashish Shelar declared his support for Somaiya and said that illegal speakers must be removed from mosques.

“A community approached the high court against the use of illegal speakers. The court ordered the removal of illegal as well legal speakers violating decibel norms. Somaiya’s stand that all such speakers should be removed is appropriate,” Shelar said.