Photo: Siasat Daily
Kolkata: Police in parts of West Bengal have reportedly approached mosques and verbally instructed their committees to remove loudspeakers mounted on mosque structures, limit their use and instead install sound boxes, according to mosque representatives. However, the absence of any written government order has led several mosque committees to question the directions.
While police are said to have directly visited some mosques, representatives of several religious institutions in Kolkata were reportedly called to the Parnasree Police Station for a meeting on the night of August 3, Siasat Daily reported.
According to a representative of Garagchha Jama Masjid, the meeting was attended by representatives of eight mosque committees, one shrine and 12 temple committees. The representative said police officials instructed mosque committees to remove loudspeakers by August 4. When committee members sought a written government notification, the officials were reportedly unable to produce one and conveyed the instructions verbally.
The developments come after the newly elected BJP government in West Bengal proposed stricter enforcement of noise pollution regulations at religious institutions during its first Cabinet meeting. State police were subsequently directed to ensure compliance with the West Bengal Pollution Control Board's prescribed noise limits of 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night in residential areas.
Local residents maintained that mosques had already been complying with the prescribed noise limits and government regulations. They said mosque authorities had also allowed officials to inspect their sound systems. Some residents questioned why there was now a verbal directive to remove loudspeakers despite their compliance with the rules.
All Bengal Imam and Muezzin Association general secretary Nijamuddin Biswas also questioned the manner in which the directions were being implemented. He said police had asked mosque committees to remove loudspeakers, prompting many to comply. However, he argued that authorities should adopt a uniform mechanism to measure noise levels at both mosques and temples. Biswas contended that if sound exceeded the permissible limits, it should be reduced, adding that the law prescribed decibel limits but did not mandate the removal of loudspeakers.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, West Bengal president Siddiqullah Chowdhury also objected to the reported directions. lpp0 to remove loudspeakers and argued that court orders only imposed limits on sound levels. Chowdhury said the organisation would oppose any move by the police to compel mosques to remove loudspeakers without such an order.