UP Police Book Sambhal Imam, Seize Loudspeaker for Azaan at High Volume

New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh police have lodged a criminal case against the imam of a mosque for allegedly using a loudspeaker to deliver ‘azaan’ (call to prayer) at a volume that exceeds the prescribed decibel limits in Sambhal district. The police also removed the loudspeaker from the mosque and seized it.

The police action comes at a time the district administration is under criticism after a senior police officer made controversial remarks asking Muslims, who are observing their holy month of Ramzan, to stay home on Holi if they could not tolerate colour being thrown on them. Holi this year coincides with the weekly Friday namaz of Muslims.

Hafiz Shakeel Shamsi, the imam of a mosque in Punjabiyan locality in Chandausi area of Sambhal, was booked on the charge of public nuisance and disobeying the orders given by public servants. The First Information Report lodged against him also invoked Section 5 of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, which deals with restrictions on public address systems and loudspeakers.

Also read: 'Police Arrested My Husband to Intimidate Us': A Family in Sambhal is Fighting to Save Their Home

The FIR was lodged on the complaint of constable Jitendra Kumar, who said that when he was on patrol duty he noticed that the imam was giving out azaan at a high volume. His act was adverse to the guidelines on noise pollution issued by the courts and the government, the constable said.

In January, police in the district booked the imams of two mosques for similar offences. On January 17, a case was lodged against imam Mufti Riyaz-ul-Haq in Hayatnagar after police patrolling near the Jama Masjid Saraitareen around 3:30 pm allegedly found him violating decibel limit norms. Police said that they had previously orally warned Haq about the norms but he openly flouted the directives. 

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