Syed Ali Ahmed | India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26 –After the state governments in Delhi and UP clarified that there was no ban on ‘Azaan’, police and district administrtation in Haryana’s Faridabad district has imposed ban on calling of ‘Azaan’ from mosques.
Ausaf Malik, a resident of Paudi village under Surajkund police station of the district has circulated a video, alleging that police came to his village and asked the people not to give ‘Azaan’ from mosques failing which action would be taken against the management of mosques. His allegation has been confirmed by the police.
He says that he asked for a written order from the police authorities in this regard but the policemen said they were not having any written permission. “I then called up Station House Office of Surajkund Police Station, met him in person and asked for the written order in the matter. However, he did not show any official order in this connection”, says Malik.
Malik says that he told police that the ‘azaan’ indicates the time for ‘namaaz’, and marks the beginning and end of the fast in the holy month of Ramzan, which began on Saturday. “But police says no one will announce from mike as to when the timing of the fast begins or timing of the fast ends and time to eat begins”, Malik says.
Maliks says he was directed by the SHO to meet the Deputy Commissioner (DC) in this connection. “I met DC sahib. I questioned him for the reason behind ban. But he also reiterated the same thing: there is no written order.’, says Malik.
“But the DC saheb admitted that there is an order from above”, Malik informs in video circulated on social media. Malik says DC told him that he (DC) came to know for the first time the difference between ‘Azaan’ and ‘Namaaz’.
Malik says that he asked the DC several times about how the calling of ‘Azaan’ contributes to the spread of coronavirus but there was no answer.
Malik, in the video, has appealed people to circulate the video so much that it reaches Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi so that the ban on ‘Azaan’ is withdrawn.
While Faridabad DC could not be contacted despite several efforts, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Surajkund, Rajeev Kumar, told India Tomorrow, “I have no written order. Contact DC office in this connection”.
Ashish Kumar Trivedi, Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the office of Director General of Police (DGP), UP Police, said, “There is no ban on calling of ‘azaan’. The only ban is on assembly of people in mosques due to the risk of spread of infection”. He said that the confusion at district level had now been cleared in this connection. UP’s Minister of State Minority Welfare, Mohsin Raza, has also denied the ban of ‘azaan’ in mosques in Uttar Pradesh.
The people in Ghazipur, Hardoi and Farrukhabad districts had to face lot of problem on Saturday, the first day of Ramzan, when policemen went to the managements of the mosques asking them not to give ‘azaan’. Sufyan Nizami, spokesperson of Darul Uloom Firangi Mahal said that he constantly received calls from people in Ghazipur about the ‘azaan’ ban. The district authorities in these districts told mediapersons that there was an oral order, not any written order. Farrukhabad district collector Manvendra Singh told India Tomorrow, “we have clarified the latest position. Why are media people asking me the same question again and again?”
In Delhi, the police clarified that there was no ban after intervention of Delhi Minorities’ Commission and All India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat (AIMMM) who took up the issue with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
