Loudspeakers row: MNS Pune unit to play Hanuman Chalisa in front of police stations

PUNE: Even as the row over loudspeakers ceases to die in the state, the Pune unit of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has now said that it will play Hanuman Chalisa in front of the police stations across the city if loudspeakers are not removed from mosques.

The party also said that they would not be responsible for the "consequences" if their demand is "not met immediately". In a letter to Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta, Pune MNS General Secretary Hemant Sambush said the loudspeaker row was "not over yet" and said that they have directions to keep agitating till loudspeakers get removed permanently.

"The agitation against loudspeakers isn't over yet, we were directed by the chief of MNS to keep the agitation going till the loudspeakers were removed from the mosques. Loudspeakers are a social issue and we do not want to create a religious rift about it," he wrote.

"There are 400 to 450 mosques in the entire city of Pune. There are loudspeakers on almost all the mosques which are unauthorised. The loudspeakers should be removed or they should be kept permanently shut so that the citizens living nearby will not be troubled by the loud noise," Sambush added in his letter. The MNS leader demanded assurance in writing from the Maulvis of the mosques to stopped praying using loudspeakers to maintain the law and order in the city.

"We are not against azaan (call for prayers) but we are adamant that it should not be done on loudspeakers. The Maulvi of all these mosques should inform us in writing through the police that they have removed or stopped 'azaan' on loudspeakers, so that the law and order shouldn't be disturbed," the letter said. "If this is done then a law and order situation will not arise and there will not be any religious or social rift," the MNS leader added. He also warned of "consequences" if their demands are not met.

"However, if we don't get written testimony from the Maulvi of the mosque then we will not be responsible for the consequences, if our demand is not met immediately, then we will start playing Hanuman Chalisa in front of the Police station," he wrote. MNS chief Raj Thackeray had held a rally in Aurangabad on May 1 and lambasted the ruling Uddhav Thackeray-led government on the issue of loudspeakers. He had set a May 3 deadline for the removal of the loudspeakers from mosques.

He had also threatened that "his party workers would play Hanuman Chalisa with double the volume of 'Azaan' (Muslim prayers) in front of the mosques if the state government doesn't act within the deadline". At the end of the deadline, numerous MNS workers were detained for allegedly trying to put up loudspeakers outside mosques to play Hanuman Chalisa.