Can religious processions on roads be banned in India? Can such a law be implemented on events of different religions simultaneously and equally? The question does not have a particular answer but we can definitely sense the ferocity of the times in which the question is being posed. We need to listen carefully to the underlying voices behind the protest against agitations on roads or offering of namaz. We also need to see how far the political rhetoric related to roads has changed in the past decade. The issue of toll tax or poor infrastructure of roads has not been raised as often and as vigorously as the matter of namaz on roads. Why is the question of road use so ferociously brought up only at the time of namaz?
There has long been politics around roads, but the nature of this politics is different from communal politics. How to remove people from roads and how not to give them access to roads are matters decided by politics as well as class and power. Agricultural lands of farmers are acquired to make way for super expressways but once the road is ready for use, bullock carts and even bikes are not allowed on it. A bike cannot move in lanes made for vehicles moving at 100 km/hr but why are lanes not constructed specifically for bullock carts, tractors, bikes and cycles? Fines are then imposed on two-wheelers and accidents take place.
Similarly, footpaths have vanished from roads in urban areas. Rights have been denied to pedestrians and here in Delhi, there is not a single lane for lakhs of cyclists. I am citing this example only to show that a road is not such a public and democratic space after all. In India, a particular class has dominated the roads – we call it the class of ‘car-wallahs’. A long campaign was run in a capital city like Delhi for making way for ambulances. There was some improvement but even today people forget to make way for an ambulance. When the prime minister’s convoy allowed an ambulance to pass, it was hyped as if a favour had been granted when it was something that should have naturally been done – no matter whose convoy it is, an ambulance has the first right to pass.
Democratisation of roads in India has taken place in a very narrow sense. Even if we look at it only as a space for unhindered traffic, there is gross dishonesty here. However, one must understand that roads are not used only for going to office or a hospital. They are used for hundreds of democratic and religious activities. To enable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s road show, roads are closed for several hours in a city. For Rahul Gandhi’s road show too, the route is planned and roads are closed. Road shows have become an integral part of politics today. During election rallies across the country, the use and management of roads changes completely. Many roads in several states are affected due to rallies for a couple of months; they remain closed and have diversions in routes.
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When a road is closed for hours to allow a road show of Prime Minister Modi and Rahul Gandhi, does it cause the same unease as felt if namaz is offered on the road? Namaz lasts only for 20 minutes. Only a part of the road remains closed for 30-40 minutes. A similar instance is of people who use the road to travel to take a dip in the Ganga or when they travel on foot to visit a traditional fair. When farmers were not coming to offer namaz, why was the road completely blocked for weeks to stop them? The borders of Delhi were closed from November 2020 to November 2021 to stop the farmers from entering Delhi. The government dismantled the very roads it built – from digging potholes to building cement walls – merely to stop the protesting farmers. Did it not cause discomfort to the people? A long march was organised for Maratha reservation in Maharashtra but neither were potholes dug in the road nor nails driven into it. If there is a blanket ban on religious and political use of roads, will the government be able to do politics as per its design? When the government reserves the right to do politics on roads, why shouldn’t the public have rights too?
There cannot be one criterion to judge who the road will be closed for – neither on the basis of religion nor politics. If the roads cannot be blocked for religious activities, how can they be closed for political rallies? Therefore, there is a need to understand the demand to ban programmes of all religions based on some provisions of the Constitution and under the guise of problems to civil society. Basically, the ruling party supporters do not want democratic use of roads – be it by Muslims or farmers or any civil organisation. The communal and undemocratic political ideology behind the sudden awareness about roads needs to be carefully examined.
Delhi Police officer Manoj Kumar Tomar kicked worshippers bowing in prostration. This was not something done under administrative responsibility – a mistake or an excess. Kicking from behind someone bowing in prostration is an act borne out of the womb of that ideology which is being spread night and day against Muslims. The action taken by Delhi Police against Tomar was not merely for kicking or slapping. Many people have understood this aspect and condemned it but many others are still feigning innocence. After saying Tomar was wrong, they immediately question why namaz was being offered on the road. As if whatever Tomar did was because of ‘this mistake’. It means a mistake had already been committed and Tomar resorted to kicking in order to rectify it. Many people are giving lectures on how namaz should not be offered on the road.
Can a blanket ban be imposed on all types of religious events on roads? That will more adversely affect hundreds of religious processions and events of Hindus which go on for several days. The desire to impose a ban is not the same as the demand for improved management of roads. But it only reflects the frustration towards a community and an insistence on spewing poison. The problem is not with namaz being offered on the road. How does it affect someone if a person offers namaz on a moving train? People have been doing so for ages and no one cared. But now a video is recorded which becomes the subject of debate on TV and the namazi is arrested. If someone offers it in the mall, a video is shot, hatred is spread over it and an uproar is created. Does offering namaz at a corner inside a mall or a coaching centre also lead to traffic jam? Recently, we saw passengers singing bhajans and raising slogans of Jai Shri Ram in planes carrying visitors to Ram temple. Was there uproar then? People have been doing bhajan-kirtan on trains for a long time. This has been a part of our train journeys. To ask for a ban on it sounds strange. Then people should not even play antakshari on the train.
One cannot separate roads in India from democratic and religious activities. Different types of barricades are set up on roads for millions of visitors pouring in to Prayagraj during the Kumbh. The administration adopts hundreds of methods using science and technology and spends millions of rupees on its management. Battalions of personnel are deployed. Many roads are completely closed. Some are closed halfway and many diversions are placed too. Whether it is a fair or Ganga-snan, the people take the same route and cover several kilometres on foot. Today, the administration does this work more efficiently as opposed to two decades ago. With time, the management of Kumbh is getting better. But to say that Kumbh can be separated from the road is absurdity. What was done to the namazis is the sick mentality which is enjoying it secretly. They know that they are only talking about stopping namaz. The rest is only a charade.
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During Kanwar Yatra, roads are closed for a month. Tents are set up by the road side. One cannot lecture on how tents should not be set up on the roadside during the Kanwar Yatra and roads should not be blocked with barricades in front of the tents. Cities no longer have space to set up tents away from the road. So tents are bound to be pitched on the roads. Kanwars travel on foot. Roads need to be closed for them as there is a risk of accident due to fast-moving vehicles and despite arrangements, kanwars get killed. Today, the arrangements have got better on these very roads and the attitude towards kanwars has also changed.
I remember when I arrived in Delhi, people looked scared of these Kanwar Yatris because they had sticks in their hands. Looking at them carrying batons and hockey sticks, people used to remark that they are not pilgrims and they have nothing to do with religion. They were called goons and scoundrels. Take a look at the news coverage of Kanwar Yatra in English media two decades ago, you will find similar references. I began to view kanwars from the perspective of someone in Delhi with my backdrop. In Bihar too the kanwars used to march on foot but no one made such remarks. Why in Delhi? I used to wonder that all that walking must make their feet sore, then why were such things said about them? Kanwars have sticks in their hands because they cannot walk without it. Secondly, there was less security on the roads earlier and more accidents were caused because roads were not closed. Therefore, kanwars used to travel in groups and in case of an accident, they would enter a brawl with the car or truck driver and resort to violence.
Roads are closed for a month for Kanwar Yatra and routes are altered. People face problems but little can be done to avoid it. Can the Kanwar Yatra be completely prohibited, arguing that all kinds of religious events should be disallowed on roads? It would be foolish to say so, and an exaggeration. The Kanwar Yatra will continue to be held – on foot and on the roads. So, those who are pointing out at namaz and lecturing on how religious events should be disallowed on roads are deliberately ignoring all these complexities.
Today, the police administration has made better arrangements for the Kanwar Yatra. Problems faced by the kanwars and conflicts have also reduced as compared to before. The sale of meat is prohibited during the Yatra which has nothing to do with the road. But which community is affected by it the most? People accepted the decision any way. Does the government grant them a month’s expenses in return? A large number of Muslims also serve food during Kanwar Yatras. Many such incidents of social harmony have been reported in the media. We should not forget that there has also been a lot of politicisation of the Yatra.
Not only the Kanwar Yatra, but even during Ganpati Puja and Durga Puja, no such law prohibiting religious events on roads can be implemented. Is it possible for the road to not be closed for idol immersion? The main road as well as the road within a locality is bound to get blocked for puja events. Pandals are set up in the parks of housing societies. Our police has made improvements in the arrangements by collaborating with fair and puja committees. Several issues have been addressed but there is still more scope for improvement. However, if a demand is made for prohibiting pandals on roads during Durga Puja, the police will spend all its time removing pandals during the festival and it will only lead to tension at various places. Now, many organising committees are working alongside the police to ensure that traffic is affected as little as possible.
Those who are strictly against offering namaz on the road should lecture the BJP and Bajrang Dal instead and ask them to stop organising Shobha Yatras on Ram Navami. They should be asked to not close roads for the yatra and not allow DJs to play loud music. Don’t they pay attention to all the problems and issues of the roads when they insist on taking the procession through localities of another community? The administration has not given permission for Shobha Yatra in view of the tension at several places, but granted permission at other places. Even in such matters the decision rests with politics.
But can there be a ban on Ram Navami processions in all the states simultaneously? Are you not aware that a particular party makes a huge investment during Ram Navami processions? There is scope for improvement in these yatras. The volume of music played by the DJ can be lowered and a fixed route can be arranged, which might have already been done. But to ask for a complete ban on taking out such processions sounds weird. The police and administration toil night and day during the time of Ram Navami in organising the yatras. The officials do not go home for weeks.
Langar and bhandara are not merely religious activities in Delhi but some of the most beautiful things about this city. It has inspired other cities to follow suit. Even during bhandaras, traffic gets affected but for any Bhandara, roads need to be used. The person organising the bhandara should seek the help of the local police, but there is only so much the police can do. How many times can permission be sought? Ultimately, it is for the people to learn to organise bhandara in such a way that there is minimum disruption in traffic. But when a hundred or two hundred people are involved, disruption is bound to happen.
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One should also look at bhandaras from a human perspective. India is a poor country. People have little to eat before leaving for work. After toiling the entire day, they get hungry. A bhandara in such a situation saves the day for them. The bhandara host also wants people to come. And isn’t the meal delicious? In Delhi and other cities, people stop buses and offer refreshing drinks to passengers during summer. It causes disruption in traffic. The residents of cities adjust to these problems. Some arrangements can be made to reduce the problems that arise but if a langar or bhandara is not held on a road, where else will it be held? Bhandara is for passers-by. It is not a banquet which is set up indoors and invitations are extended. The American society doesn’t have any such activities. Therefore, such problems do not arise there. However, the Indian community members settled there are taking out processions on bulldozers now.
It is not about the road here. It is about namaz, and the person offering namaz who is a Muslim. Since one cannot justify the incident of kicking, one has started denouncing the act of offering namaz on the road. One only wants to continue humiliating and suppressing a community. Have we forgotten the Gurugram incident? People were not offering namaz on the road there. Namaz was being offered in a ground. Yet people came to protest. At the centre of this debate is not the road, but Muslims. Their religious rights are continuously being attacked. At many places, offering namaz on the streets has been banned but events of other religions are allowed to take place. Community prayers on Eid are not held at many places because if thousands of people pray together, the roads are bound to be used. Therefore, namaz is now being offered in shifts. It is not as if any community is stubbornly offering namaz on the road. They do so because they are facing problems. But offering namaz in parks has been made problematic as well.
It is better that we learn to live together and move forward with deeper understanding of each other. We need to reduce the disruptions caused by religious events on the streets, improve the system and stop nurturing hatred. The Indian administration has made several major achievements in this regard and has improved arrangements. But there is a need to understand the hatred that is being spread left, right and centre in the name of religious activities. This hatred will give rise to more Chetan Singhs and Manoj Kumar Tomars, who will either go to jail or be suspended. You can defend them only by becoming a crowd because you are well aware that it is neither logical nor socially acceptable. It is neither acceptable to religion nor to the Constitution. True, that you are in power, you have the crowd, so you can do whatever you want, but you do know where the problem lies. The problem is not in offering namaz on the road but in the way someone offering namaz is looked at. It is better one accepts it.
Translated from the Hindi original by Naushin Rehman.
Ravish Kumar is a senior journalist. You can find him on his YouTube channel, @ravishkumar.official.
