SYED KHALIQUE AHMED
NEW DELHI, APRIL 30
After the Ghazipur district administration imposed an oral ban on calling of ‘Azaan’ (call to prayers) on April 24 and threatened to book the Imams and muezzins of the mosques and their management under National Security Act (NSA) in case of violation of the order, Member of Lok Sabha from Ghazipur Afzal Ansari sent a letter to Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court Govind Mathur, requesting his intervention for lifting the ban which has now been converted into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The matter has been listed for hearing on May 4.
In his letter, Ansari submitted that following Coronavirus-induced lockdown, gathering and prayers in mosques all over the country was discontinued with a view to fighting against the infection by maintaining social distancing norms, the Azaan was allowed and it was being given from all mosques all over the country as also the state of Uttar Pradesh.
“However, all of a sudden, the local administration and police in Ghazipur district imposed a ban on Azaan and threatened that ‘if any one dared to give Azaan’, he will be booked under the stringent National Security Act”, Ansari said in his PIL.
Stating that since he is a public representative, many people from his constituency approached him against the “draconian action”of the administration, he said that “several FIRs have also been lodged against several Imams and muezzins of the mosques without any rhyme or reason”.
Ansari said in his PIL that when the people asked for a written order from the authorities in this regard, they were told that “the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police have given the order in this respect”.
“I also contacted several authorities, including District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police. But there is no response. Everybody is talking about some oral order but its source and authority is not disclosed. No written order for banning Azaan is shown”, Ansari stated in the PIL.
Emphasising the importance of Azaan, particularly in the fasting month of Ramzan, MP, who is from the Bahujan Samaj Party, said that people depended on Azaan for eating ‘sehri’and ‘iftar’, breaking of fast at the sunset.
He requested the court “to allow Azaan by muezzins of the respective mosques so as to protect the fundamental right of the people of Ghazipur under Articles 14, 21 and 25 of the Constitution of India”.
Speaking to Indian Tomorrow, Ansari said that he also talked to the officials in Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Lucknow regarding the ban and they said there was no ban on Azaan. He said that UP Minority Affairs Minister Mohsin Raza and his senior Nand Kishore Gupta have also cleared the confusion and said there was no ban on Azaan in the state.
Ansari also sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Azaan ban issue on April 26, requesting “appropriate action” in the matter.
“The Muslims cooperated with the administration on the assembly and prayers in mosques to prevent spreading of coronavirus by maintaining social distancing. But the abrupt ban on Azaan on April 24 by the district administration has hurt the religious feelings of the Muslims as there is no relationship between Azaan and crowd gathering”, he wrote in his letter to the PM.
A few days ago, Ashish Kumar Trivedi, PRO in the office of Director General of Police, Lucknow, told India Tomorrow that there is no ban on Azaan and SPs in all districts have been informed about it to clear the confusion.
When India Tomorrow called up Ghazipur District Magistrate Om Prakash Arya, he refused to talk, saying “it is an old issue”.
The ban on Azaan also continues since April 24 in Jaunpur and Mirzapur districts. When questioned, Public Relations Officer (PRO) in Jaunpur Superintendent of Police’s office said, “You talk to District Magistrate’s office”.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Machchalishahar (Jaunpur district) was very rude when Abid Sheikh of Peoples Vigilance Commission of Human rights (PVCHR) talked to him asking for the reasons for the ban and on what authority the ban was imposed. “The SDM told me that no Azaan can be given between 6 pm and 6 am and anyone violating it would be punished”, said Abid Sheikh, quoting the SDM.
(Syed Khalique Ahmed is Chief Editor of indiatomorrow.net)
