Police ban namaz on roads across Uttar Pradesh

Confirming the ban on offering namaz on roads, director general of police (DGP) OP Singh on Tuesday said direction had been issued to all districts police chiefs and other authorities to ensure that no namaz was offered by blocking roads.

After a limited ban on offering namaz on roads in some parts of the state, the Uttar Pradesh police has decided to impose a complete ban on offering namaz on roads across the state.

After a limited ban on offering namaz on roads in some parts of the state, the Uttar Pradesh police has decided to impose a complete ban on offering namaz on roads across the state. (Diwakar Prasad/ Hindustan Times)

Confirming the ban on offering namaz on roads, director general of police (DGP) OP Singh on Tuesday said direction had been issued to all districts police chiefs and other authorities to ensure that no namaz was offered by blocking roads. “On special occasions, when large crowd gathers for offering prayers on festivals, it could be allowed by the district administration, but this practice will not be allowed as a routine during every Friday prayer,” he said.

The DGP said similar ban was initially imposed in Aligarh and Meerut and now efforts were on to enforce the same across the state. He said the Aligarh district administration had even issued a detail circular for not allowing namaz on roads and it was imposed successfully.

He said the district officials had been asked to hold meeting with clerics and mosque administrations to sensitize them on how namaz on roads interrupted smooth traffic flow and caused other problems.

Singh said other religious communities would also not be allowed to hold similar gatherings on roads if it interrupted the traffic flow or caused inconvenience to others.

Reacting to the move, Sunni cleric and member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali said, “There are only a few mosques where Muslims have been offering prayers outside the premises. Even in the past, we had appealed to Muslims to not offer Namaz by blocking the road as it causes inconvenience to other people. There were instances when people offered namaz on the roof of the mosque. We have suggested people to go to other mosques.”